cain
rent paid in kind, especially a percentage of a farm crop.
Origin of cain
1- Also Scot., kane .
Other definitions for Cain (2 of 3)
the first son of Adam and Eve, who murdered his brother Abel. Genesis 4.
a murderer.
Other words from Cain
- Cainism, noun
- Cain·it·ic [key-nit-ik], /keɪˈnɪt ɪk/, adjective
Other definitions for Cain (3 of 3)
James M., 1892–1977, U.S. novelist.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use cain in a sentence
The moment you were to use such gains the curse of a hundred Cains would be upon you.
The Birthright | Joseph HockingI have a delightful recollection of a bill of his in which I was charged for "fioletz," with the vague addition of "maine cains."
Stories in Light and Shadow | Bret HarteAdam was Cains father, who slew Abel; and the blood fell on the pure earth; its maidenhood was sped.
The Mediaeval Mind (Volume I of II) | Henry Osborn TaylorHe spoke, and sent a dense army of ants and locusts to blight Cains cornfields.
The Oxford Reformers | Frederic SeebohmTruly, this last appeared to Cains a not unlikely consequence, but it was not his business to bring it about.
The Mermaid | Lily Dougall
British Dictionary definitions for cain (1 of 2)
kain
/ (keɪn) /
history (in Scotland and Ireland) payment in kind, usually farm produce paid as rent
Origin of cain
1British Dictionary definitions for Cain (2 of 2)
/ (keɪn) /
the first son of Adam and Eve, who killed his brother Abel (Genesis 4:1–16)
raise Cain
to cause a commotion
to react or protest heatedly
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with cain
see raise Cain.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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