ˈhemp noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English hemp, hempe, from Old English hænep, henep; akin to Middle Dutch hennep hemp, Old High German hanaf, hanif, Old Norse hampr; probably all of non-Indo-European origin; akin to the source of Greek kannabis hemp & Armenian kanap
1.
a. : a tall widely cultivated Asiatic herb ( Cannabis sativa ) with tough bast fiber that is used for making cloth, floor covering, and cordage — see bhang , cannabidiol , cannabin , cannabinol , cannabis , charas , hashish ; compare ganja
b. : the fiber of this plant prepared for commercial use
c. : a narcotic drug (as hashish) from hemp
2. : the useful fiber of any of numerous plants (as jute, abaca, ramie) other than hemp ; also : the plant producing such fiber
3. archaic
a. : a gallows rope
b. : hanging
4. : a light grayish olive color that is redder and deeper than twine, Quaker gray, or average citron gray