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bane

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bane¹

  • /beɪn/ US, UK

Rhymes with -eɪn

Where it comes from

The noun is derived from Middle English bane (“person or thing that destroys life, murderer, slayer; person who destroys the soul; destruction of life, death, doom; poison”), from Old English bana (“person or thing that causes death, murderer”), from Proto-West Germanic *banō, from Proto-Germanic *banô (“killer, murderer, slayer; death, bane”), probably ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰen- (“to slay, kill; to strike”).

The verb is derived from the noun.

cognates

* Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐌽𐌾𐌰 (banja, “wound”)

* Old Frisian bona (“death; murder”)

* Old Norse bani (Danish bane (“death; murder”), Icelandic bani (“bane, death”), Swedish bane (“death; murder”)), Old Norse ben (“(moral) wound”)

* Old English ben, benn (“mortal injury; wound”)

* Old High German bano (“death”) (Middle High German ban, bane)

* Old Saxon bano (“death; murder”), beni (“mortal injury; wound”)

noun banes

  1. countable A cause of misery or ruin. the bane of one’s existence

    Similar: blight, affliction, curse, undoing, downfall · Opposite: boon

  2. archaic, countable Chiefly in the names of poisonous plants or substances: a poison. For my part I would rather counſell you to deſtroy your Rattes and Miſe with Traps, Banes, or Weeſels: for beſides the ſluttiſhneſſe & lothſomeneſſe of the Catte (you know what ſhe layes in the Malt heape) ſhe is moſt daungerous and pernicious among children, as I mee ſelf haue had good experience.
  3. poetic, uncountable Misery, woe; also, doom, ruin; or physical injury, harm. Hath ſome fond lover tic'd [i.e., enticed] thee to thy bane? / And vvilt thou leave the Church, and love a ſtie?
  4. UK, dialectal, uncountable A disease of sheep in which breakdown of tissue occurs; rot.
  5. countable, obsolete A person or thing that causes death or destruction; a killer, a murderer, a slayer. We haue alſo had experience yͭ the deſire of a kingdõe [kingdome] knoweth no kindred. The brother hath bene the brothers bane.
  6. obsolete, uncountable Death; destruction; (countable) an instance of this. I vvill not be affraid of Death and Bane, / Till Birnane Forreſt come to Dunſinane.

verb banes · baning · baned · bane

  1. archaic, transitive To physically injure (someone or something); to harm, to hurt. Think when thou ſéeſt the baite whereon is thy delite, / That hidden Hookes are hard at hande to bane thee when thou bite.
  2. archaic, figuratively, transitive To cause (someone) misery or ruin; to socially or spiritually injure (someone). It [covetousness] annoyeth our Phiſitions, it infecteth our Diuines, it choaketh our Lawiers, it woundeth our Farmers, it baneth our Gentlemen, it murdereth our Tradeſmen, it bewitcheth our Merchants, it ſtingeth our Marriners. Oh couetouſneſſe, couetouſneſſe: it is the poyſon of all things, the wou
  3. UK, dialectal, transitive To cause (sheep) a disease, especially the rot (“a disease in which breakdown of tissue occurs”).
  4. obsolete, transitive To kill (a person or animal), especially by poison. Aconit is of two ſortes (as Dioſcorides writeth) the one is named Aconitum Pardalianches, that is to ſay, Aconite that baneth, or killeth Panthers.

bane²

  • /beɪn/ US, UK

Rhymes with -eɪn

Where it comes from

From Northern Middle English ban, from bon (“bone”), from Old English bān, from Proto-West Germanic *bain (“bone; leg”), from Proto-Germanic *bainą (“bone; leg”), from *bainaz (“straight”); further etymology uncertain, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- (“to glow, shine”) (in the sense of a straight beam of light), or *bʰeyh₂- (“to hit, strike”) (in the sense of an object for striking), or *bʰeyH-n- (“pole; straight line”).

noun banes

  1. Scotland, alternative, transitive Alternative spelling of bone If meate or drinke thou never gavest nane, / Every night and alle: / The fire will burn thee to the bare bane; / And Christe receive thye saule.

Bane³

Where it comes from

* As an English surname, from the archaic noun bane (“murderer”).

* As an English, Scottish, and Irish surname, variant of Bain.

* As a French surname, from the noun banne (“wicker basket”).

proper noun Banes

  1. A surname.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: scourge, curse, nemesis, ruination, ruin, doom, evil, downfall, cursing, nightmare, hause, bugbear, infestation, poison, plague, mine

Translations

Every language

noun cause of misery or ruin — see also affliction, nightmare, hardship

Españoldesgracia, maldición, ruina, perdición, quebranto
Portuguêsdesgraça, desventura, flagelo, maldição, perdição, ruína
Françaiscalamité, cauchemar, drame, fléau
DeutschRuin, Verderben
Italianodisgrazia, flagello, piaga, rovina, sventura
Русскийбич bič, ги́бель gíbelʹ, напа́сть napástʹ, прокля́тие prokljátije, зло zlo

verb to cause (someone) misery or ruin; to socially or spiritually injure (someone)

Españolarruinar, maldecir
Portuguêsarruinar, maldizer
Deutschruinieren

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Cite this
MLA

"bane." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/bane. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

bane. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/bane

Chicago

"bane." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/bane.

BibTeX
@misc{bane_2026,
  title = {bane},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/bane},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}