Etymologically
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cannabis

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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 kanab, Russian 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

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