I. cane 1 /keɪn/ BrE AmE noun
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: Old Provençal cana , from Latin canna , from Greek kanna , from a Semitic language ]
1 . [uncountable] thin pieces of the stems of plants, used for making furniture and baskets:
a cane chair
cane furniture
2 . [countable] a long thin stick made from the stem of a plant, used for supporting other plants in a garden
3 . [countable] a long thin stick with a curved handle that you can use to help you walk
4 . [countable] a stick that was used in the past by teachers to hit children with as a punishment:
Children knew that if they misbehaved they would get the cane.
II. cane 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
1 . to punish someone, especially a child, by hitting them with a stick
2 . cane it spoken informal especially British English
a) to drive along very fast
b) to drink a lot of alcohol