CANE

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Old Occitan cana, from Latin canna, from Greek kanna, of Semitic origin; akin to Akkadian qanū reed, Hebrew qāneh Date: 14th century 1. a. a hollow or pithy and usually slender and flexible jointed stem (as of a reed), any of various slender woody stems, any of various tall woody grasses or reeds: as, any of a genus ( Arundinaria ) of coarse grasses, sugar~ , sorghum , ~ dressed for use: as, a ~ walking stick, a ~ or rod for flogging, rattan , a tiny glass rod used in decorative glasswork (as in millefiori and paperweights), II. transitive verb (~d; caning) Date: 1662 to beat with a ~ , to weave or furnish with ~