cane

n. [ OE. cane, canne, OF. cane, F. canne, L. canna, fr. Gr. ka`nna, ka`nnh; prob. of Semitic origin; cf. Heb. qāneh reed. Cf. Canister, canon, 1st Cannon. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. (Bot.) (a) A name given to several peculiar palms, species of Calamus and Dæmanorops, having very long, smooth flexible stems, commonly called rattans. (b) Any plant with long, hard, elastic stems, as reeds and bamboos of many kinds; also, the sugar cane. (c) Stems of other plants are sometimes called canes; as, the canes of a raspberry. [ 1913 Webster ]

Like light canes, that first rise big and brave. B. Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ In the Southern United States great cane is the Arundinaria macrosperma, and small cane is. Arundinaria tecta. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A walking stick; a staff; -- so called because originally made of one of the species of cane. [ 1913 Webster ]

Stir the fire with your master's cane. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A lance or dart made of cane. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Judgelike thou sitt'st, to praise or to arraign
The flying skirmish of the darted cane. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A local European measure of length. See Canna. [ 1913 Webster ]

Cane borer (Zool.), A beetle (Oberea bimaculata) which, in the larval state, bores into pith and destroy the canes or stalks of the raspberry, blackberry, etc. --
Cane mill, a mill for grinding sugar canes, for the manufacture of sugar. --
Cane trash, the crushed stalks and other refuse of sugar cane, used for fuel, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A thicket of canes. Ellicott. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a type of rabbit (Sylvilagus aquaticus) inhabiting southeastern U.S. swamps and lowlands; -- called also swamp rabbit.
Syn. -- swamp rabbit, swamp hare. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. [ Cf. L. canus white. ] Filled with white flakes; mothery; -- said vinegar when containing mother. [ Prov. Eng. ] Halliwell. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ LL. (OE. canel, canelle, cinnamon, fr. F. cannelle), Dim. of L. canna a reed. Canella is so called from the shape of the rolls of prepared bark. See Cane. ] (Bot.) A genus of trees of the order Canellaceæ, growing in the West Indies. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The principal species is Canella alba, and its bark is a spice and drug exported under the names of wild cinnamon and whitewood bark. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A large evergreen shrub or small tree (Canella alba or Canella winterana) having white aromatic bark and leathery leaves and small purple to red flowers in terminal cymes. Its bark is called wild cinnamon.
Syn. -- wild cinnamon, white cinnamon tree, Canella winterana. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. a natural family having one genus: aromatic tropical trees of East Africa and Florida to West Indies. In 1913 the family was classed as an order: see canella.
Syn. -- family Canellaceae, canella family. [ WordNet 1.5 ]