CANE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does cane mean? 

• CANE (noun)
  The noun CANE has 3 senses:

1. a stick that people can lean on to help them walk

2. a strong slender often flexible stem as of bamboos, reeds, rattans, or sugar cane

3. a stiff switch used to hit students as punishment

  Familiarity information: CANE used as a noun is uncommon.

• CANE (verb)
  The verb CANE has 1 sense:

1. beat with a cane

  Familiarity information: CANE used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CANE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A stick that people can lean on to help them walk

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("cane" is a kind of...):

walking stick (a stick carried in the hand for support in walking)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "cane"):

malacca; malacca cane (a cane made from the stem of a rattan palm)

swagger stick (a short cane or stick covered with leather and carried by army officers)

sword cane; sword stick (a cane concealing a sword or dagger)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A strong slender often flexible stem as of bamboos, reeds, rattans, or sugar cane

Classified under:

Nouns denoting plants

Hypernyms ("cane" is a kind of...):

stalk; stem (a slender or elongated structure that supports a plant or fungus or a plant part or plant organ)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "cane"):

sugar cane; sugarcane (juicy canes whose sap is a source of molasses and commercial sugar; fresh canes are sometimes chewed for the juice)

rattan; rattan cane (the stem of various climbing palms of the genus Calamus and related genera used to make wickerwork and furniture and canes)

malacca (stem of the rattan palm used for making canes and umbrella handles)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A stiff switch used to hit students as punishment

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("cane" is a kind of...):

switch (a flexible implement used as an instrument of punishment)

Derivation:

cane (beat with a cane)

• CANE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they cane    ... he / she / it canes   
Past simple: caned   
Past participle: caned   
-ing form: caning   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Beat with a cane

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

cane; flog; lambast; lambaste

Hypernyms (to "cane" is one way to...):

beat; beat up; work over (give a beating to; subject to a beating, either as a punishment or as an act of aggression)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Sentence example:

They want to cane the prisoners

Derivation:

cane (a stiff switch used to hit students as punishment)

 Context examples 

The instant that we heard it, Holmes sprang from the bed, struck a match, and lashed furiously with his cane at the bell-pull.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

It was with this extraordinary procession trooping at his and Maria's heels into a confectioner's in quest if the biggest candy-cane ever made, that he encountered Ruth and her mother.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

Cantarella’s work enables a 95 per cent reduction in emissions of nitrous oxide associated with cane cultivation.

(Method that cuts sugarcane emissions gets global prize, SciDev.Net)

And do you remember when I got caned for crying about Mr. Mell?

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

And extending his cane he pointed to the awful object, his hand shaking as he did so.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

Examples are a cane, wheelchair, scooter, walker, hearing aid, or special bed.

(Assistive device, NCI Dictionary)

I carry them with me in my country walks, and where I see a fruitful nook I thrust one deep with the end of my cane.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

He had in his hand a heavy cane, with which he was trifling; but he answered never a word, and seemed to listen with an ill-contained impatience.

(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

You may need a walker or cane if you are at risk of falling.

(Mobility Aids, NIH)

"By Jove, she's forgotten her dinner!" cried the unconscious youth, poking the scarlet monster into its place with his cane, and preparing to hand out the basket after the old lady.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)