n.
Pronunciation: ' hemp
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English hænep; akin to Old High German hanaf hemp, Greek kannabis
Date: before 12th century
1 a : a tall widely cultivated Asian herb ( Cannabis sativa of the family Cannabaceae, the hemp family) that has a tough bast fiber used especially for cordage and that is often separated into a tall loosely branched species ( C. sativa ) and a low-growing densely branched species ( C. indica ) b : the fiber of hemp c : a psychoactive drug (as marijuana or hashish) from hemp
2 : a fiber (as jute) from a plant other than the true hemp also : a plant yielding such fiber