I. ˈbān noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English bana; akin to Old High German bano death
Date: before 12th century
1.
a. obsolete : killer , slayer
b. : poison
c. : death , destruction
stop the way of those that seek my bane — Philip Sidney
d. : woe
2. : a source of harm or ruin : curse
national frontiers have been more of a bane than a boon for mankind — D. C. Thomson
II. transitive verb
( baned ; ban·ing )
Date: 1578
obsolete : to kill especially with poison
III. noun
Etymology: Middle English (northern dialect) ban, from Old English bān — more at bone
Date: before 12th century
chiefly Scottish : bone