cannabis

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈkæ.nə.bɪs/^[1]

Etymology

It is from Modern Latin Cannabis, the plant genus named by Linnaeus,^[2][3] from Latin cannabis (“hemp”), from Greek κάνναβις (kánnabis, “hemp”),^[2][3][4] perhaps a Scythian or Thracian word,^[3][2] also the source of Persian کنب (kanab), Russian конопля (konoplja) and Lithuanian kanapės, and of English canvas and possibly hemp.^[3][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Common hemp: 1548 in the OED, 1783 in Merriam-Webster, 1798 in Barnhart and Etymonline.^[5][4][2][3]

Semantic evolution

The Modern Latin genus name dates from 1728, in Chambers's Cyclopaedia.^[2][3] Barnhart notes that cannabis is a doublet of canvas.^[2] A preparation of the plant used as an intoxicating drug is from 1848,^[2][3][5] and cannabis resin from 1896.^[5]

Timeline

• 1548 – hemp.^[5]
• 1728 – the genus Cannabis.^[2]
• 1848 – the drug.^[2]
• 1896 – cannabis resin.^[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. The hemp plant, Cannabis sativa, a tall annual native to central Asia.
2. A drug made from the dried leaves and flowers of this plant, such as marijuana or hashish, used as an intoxicant or medicine.

Word family

• cannabic
• cannabin
• cannabinoid
• cannabidiol
• cannabinol
• tetrahydrocannabinol

Related words

• hemp
• canvas
• marijuana
• hashish

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press