cain
cain Lexical Profile
cain Game Scores & Validity
• noun
(capitalized) In the Book of Genesis, the eldest son of Adam and Eve, who murdered his younger brother Abel out of jealousy; by extension, a person who murders their own sibling or commits fratricide.
"The tragic play portrays the envious older brother as a modern Cain."
(capitalized, chiefly in 'raise Cain') A noisy commotion, disturbance, or angry uproar.
"The customers began to raise Cain when they learned their flight had been canceled without notice."
Scottish (historical, in traditional Scots law) A tribute or rent paid in kind, such as poultry, grain, or livestock, by a tenant to a landlord.
"Under the old feudal lease, the crofter was required to pay an annual cain of twelve hens to the estate."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'Cain' (the biblical figure, used in the idiom 'raise Cain' meaning to cause an uproar) with its homophone 'cane' (a walking stick or woody plant stem).
• Rhymes for cain
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Late Latin Cain, from Ancient Greek Kain, from Biblical Hebrew Qayin, traditionally associated in Genesis with the verb qanah meaning 'to acquire' or 'to get'.