cain
/ˈkeɪn/
noun
Familiar
1.n.(Old Testament) Cain and Abel were the first children of Adam and Eve born after the Fall of Man; Cain killed Abel out of jealousy and was exiled by God
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cain and cane are homophones: they are pronounced identically and spelled differently, which is why they are so often swapped. cain means “(Old Testament) Cain and Abel were the first children of Adam and Eve born after the Fall of Man; Cain killed Abel out of jealousy and was exiled by God”. cane means “a stick that people can lean on to help them walk”. cane is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈkeɪn/
1.n.(Old Testament) Cain and Abel were the first children of Adam and Eve born after the Fall of Man; Cain killed Abel out of jealousy and was exiled by God
/ˈkeɪn/
1.n.a stick that people can lean on to help them walk
| cain | cane | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈkeɪn/ | /ˈkeɪn/ |
| Said | kayn | kayn |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Letters | 4 | 4 |
| Parts of speech | noun | noun, verb |
| Senses | 1 | 4 |
| How common | Familiar | Common |
| Synonyms | none recorded | none recorded |
Full entry for cain · Full entry for cane · More comparisons
2.n.a strong slender often flexible stem as of bamboos, reeds, rattans, or sugar cane
3.n.a stiff switch used to hit students as punishment