kane

K5A1N1E1
/keɪn/

noun

A Polynesian or Maori man.

OriginMāori kāne →
CommonScrabble 8
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Meanings

kane1

nounkane (plural kanes)

plural kanes

  1. A Polynesian or Maori man.

    I wanna be with all the kanes and wahines that I knew long ago

    1933, Tommy Harrison, Bill Cogswell, Johnny Noble, My Little Grass Shack in Kealakekua, Hawaii

Kane2

proper nounKane (plural Kanes)

plural Kanes · alternative Kaine

  1. A surname.

    Kane, 47, and from Woolsington, Newcastle, admitted offences including coercive and controlling behaviour, with his barrister saying he was "riddled" with an alcohol addiction at the time.

    2026 September 4, Duncan Leatherdale, “'Cruel abuser enjoyed' terrorising partner”, in BBC News, retrieved 04 Sep 2026
  2. A place in the United States:
    1. A village in Greene County, Illinois.
    2. A township in Benton County, Iowa.
    3. A borough in McKean County, Pennsylvania, founded by Thomas L. Kane.

Origin

kane · noun

  1. Māorikāne“man”
  2. Englishkane

Borrowed from Māori kāne (“man”).

More words from Māori

Full word history & related roots →

Kane · proper noun

* As an Irish and Scottish Gaelic surname, from Ó Catháin (“descendant of Cathán”), Mac Catháin (“son of Cathán”), a name meaning "warrior," from cath (“battle”). Compare O'Kane and Keane. * As an English surname, variant of Cane. * As a Jewish surname, variant of Kahane and Kanne. * As a German surname, Americanized from Köhn, Kohn. * As a Finnish surname, Americanized from Nykänen.

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with kane

mainagaindomainSpainpaincampaignchainmaintaingaintrainobtainremaincontainrainmaineexplainlaneplainjaneplaneWayneUkrainegrainstrain
All rhymes →

Sounds the same

caneCainCaineKain

Anagrams

Keannakekaenkenaakenenka
Cite this entry
APA

kane. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kane

MLA

“kane.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kane. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “kane,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kane.

Source: kane on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.