[hemp] n [ME, fr. OE haenep; akin to OHG hanaf hemp, Gk kannabis] (bef. 12c) 1 a: a tall widely cultivated Asian herb (Cannabis sativa) of the mulberry family with tough bast fiber used esp. for cordage 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