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Definition of cannae

cannae

/ˈkæni/
can · nae
Past Simple:couldnae
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cannae Lexical Profile

cannae Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

An ancient town and archaeological site in the Apulia region of southeastern Italy, historically renowned as the location of the decisive 216 BC battle in which the Carthaginian general Hannibal defeated the Roman army.

• verb

1

Scottish To not be able to, or to not be permitted to (used in Scottish English as a negative contraction of 'cannot').

Example

"I cannae believe how quickly the weather changed this afternoon."

Synonyms
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Antonyms
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• Rhymes for cannae

• Nearby Words

cankle
canna
cannabis
cannae
canned
cannellini
cannellini bean

Word Origin & Etymology

As a Scottish modal verb contraction, formed from 'can' plus the negative enclitic '-nae' (not).

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Cannae. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/cannae
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