1. 1. A slender, strong but often flexible stem, as of certain bamboos, reeds, or rattans.
   2. A plant having such a stem.
   3. Such stems or strips of such stems used for wickerwork or baskets.
2. A bamboo (Arundinaria gigantea) native to the southeast United States, having long stiff stems and often forming canebrakes.
3. The stem of a raspberry, blackberry, certain roses, or similar plants.
4. Sugar cane.
5. A stick used as an aid in walking or carried as an accessory.
6. A rod used for flogging.

1. To make, supply, or repair with flexible woody material.
2. To hit or beat with a rod.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin canna, small reed, from Greek kanna, of Semitic origin.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.