bane

See also: Bane, bañe, bañé, banë, and báně

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /beɪn/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• Hyphenation: bane
• Rhymes: -eɪn

Etymology 1

From Middle English bane, from Old English bana, from Proto-West Germanic *banō, from Proto-Germanic *banô (compare Old High German bano (“death”), Icelandic bani (“bane, death”)), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰon-on-, from the o-grade of *gʷʰen- (“to strike, to kill”).

Noun

bane (countable and uncountable, plural banes)

1. A cause of misery or death.

   Synonyms: undoing, affliction, curse

   Antonym: boon

   the bane of one’s existence

   • [1633], George Herbert, “Avarice”, in [Nicholas Ferrar], editor, The Temple. Sacred Poems, and Private Ejaculations, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: […] Thomas Buck and Roger Daniel; and are to be sold by Francis Green, […], →OCLC, page 69:

     Money, thou bane of bliſſe, & ſourſe of wo, / Whence com'ſt thou, that thou art ſo freſh and fine? / I know thy parentage is baſe and low: / Man found thee poore and dirtie in a mine.

   • 1961 September, B. Perren, “The Tilbury Line serves industrial North Thameside”, in Modern Railways, page 556:

     At Barking, previously the bane of L.T.S. operating staff, the new works have now simplified the working of traffic from four converging routes in the area.

2. (dated) Poison, especially any of several poisonous plants.
   • 1577, C. Heresbach, B. Googe, Fovre Bookes of Husbandry, page 156:

     For my part I would rather counſell you to destroy your Rattes and Miſe with Traps, Banes, or Weeſels.

3. (obsolete) A killer, murderer, slayer.
4. (obsolete) Destruction; death.
   • 1650, [John Milton], “Intitled to the Prince of Wales”, in ΈΙΚΟΝΟΚΛΑΣΤΗΣ [Éikonoklastēs]. […], new (2nd) edition, London: […] G. Kearsly, […], published 1770, →OCLC, pages 272–273:

     [I]f now again intoxicated and moaped with theſe royal, and therefore ſo delicious becauſe royal rudiments of bondate, the cup of deception, ſpiced and tempered to their bane, they ſhould deliver up themſelves to theſe glozing words and illuſions of him, whoſe rage and utmoſt violence they have ſuſtained, and overcome ſo nobly.

5. A disease of sheep.

   Synonym: rot

Derived terms

• a boon and a bane
• a boon or a bane
• Austrian leopard's bane (Doronicum austriacum)
• -bane
• baneberry (Actaea spp.)
• baneful
• bane of one's existence
• bane of one's life
• bane of someone's existence
• bane of someone's life
• banewort
• bollan bane
• boon and bane
• boon or bane
• bugbane
• common dogbane (Apocynum androsaemifolium)
• cowbane
• dogbane
• dog bane (Coleus comosus, syn. Plectranthus ornatus)
• dogs-bane
• fleabane
• flybane
• hog's bane
• leopardsbane
• leopard's bane (Doronicum spp. et al.)
• libbard's bane
• oxbane
• ratsbane
• sowbane
• tippler's bane
• wolf's bane
• wolfsbane (Aconitum spp.)

 

Translations

killer — see killer

source of harm or ruin; affliction

• Bulgarian: зло (bg) (zlo), напаст (bg) (napast)
• Catalan: desgràcia (ca) f, flagell (ca) m
• Czech: prokletí n, trápení (cs) n
• Danish: bane (da)
• Dutch: verderf (nl) n
• Finnish: vitsaus (fi), kirous (fi), riesa (fi), maanvaiva
• French: fléau (fr) m, drame (fr) m, cauchemar (fr) m, calamité (fr) f
• Galician: desgraza f, azoute m, flaxelo m
• German: Ruin (de) m, Verderben (de) n
• Greek:

  Ancient: δήλημα n (dḗlēma), ὄλεθρος m (ólethros)

• Hungarian: rontás (hu), csapás (hu)
• Irish: urbhaidh f (literary)
• Italian: rovina (it) f, flagello (it) m, piaga (it) f, disgrazia (it) f, sventura (it) f
• Macedonian: зло n (zlo), на́паст f (nápast), про́клетство n (prókletstvo)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: bane (no) m

• Persian: یمان (yamân)
• Portuguese: desgraça (pt) f, flagelo (pt) m, ruína (pt), maldição (pt), perdição (pt), desventura (pt)
• Russian: зло (ru) n (zlo), напа́сть (ru) f (napástʹ), бич (ru) m (bič), прокля́тие (ru) n (prokljátije), ги́бель (ru) f (gíbelʹ)
• Spanish: desgracia (es) f, maldición (es) f, ruina (es) f, perdición (es) f
• Turkish: felaket (tr), yıkım (tr)
• Ukrainian: напасть f (napastʹ), прокляття (uk) n (prokljattja), зло n (zlo), загибель (uk) f (zahybelʹ)

Verb

bane (third-person singular simple present banes, present participle baning, simple past and past participle baned)

1. (transitive) To kill, especially by poison; to be the poison of.
2. (transitive) To be the bane of.

Translations

to (kill by) poison — see poison

to be the poison of

• Spanish: envenenar (es), intoxicar (es)

to be the bane of

• Dutch: verderven (nl), ruïneren (nl)
• Finnish: tärvellä (fi); vaivata (fi)
• German: ruinieren (de)
• Norwegian: bane (no) m
• Portuguese: maldizer (pt), arruinar (pt)
• Spanish: maldecir (es), arruinar (es)

Etymology 2

From Middle English ban (northern dialect), from Old English bān.

Noun

bane (plural banes)

1. (chiefly Scotland) Bone.
   • 1686, "Lyke-Wake Dirge" as printed in The Oxford Book of English Verse (1900) p. 361:

     The fire will burn thee to the bare bane.

References

• Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield, Massachusetts, G.&C. Merriam Co., 1967
• “bane”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• Bean, Bena, bean, nabe

Danish

Etymology 1

Old Norse bani

Noun

bane

1. bane, person/thing/event that kills someone or something

Etymology 2

From Middle Low German bane, from Old Saxon *bana, from Proto-West Germanic *banu, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *banō.

Noun

bane c

1. track
2. trajectory

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Verb

bane

1. (dated or formal) singular present subjunctive of banen

Galician

Verb

bane

1. inflection of banir:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Japanese

Romanization

bane

1. Rōmaji transcription of ばね

Latin

Noun

bane

1. vocative singular of banus

Manx

Etymology

From Old Irish bán, from Proto-Celtic *bānos (“white”).

Adjective

bane (plural baney, comparative baney)

1. white, blank, pallid

   Er cabbyl bane va mee. ― My mount was a white horse.

   Haink daah bane yn aggle er. ― He blanched with fear.

2. fair, blonde

   Shen Illiam Bane. ― That's fair-haired William.

3. fallow

   Faag y magher bane. ― Leave the field lea.

Derived terms

• ard-firryn bane (“white deadnettle”)
• caillagh vane (“smew”)
• fo-vane (“whitish”)
• hullad vane (“barn owl, white owl”)
• immyr vane (“balk”)
• pibbin vane (“fulmar”)
• urley bane (“gyrfalcon”)
• Yn Vooir Vane (“the White Sea”)

 

Mutation

Manx mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
bane	vane	mane
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

See also

Colors in Manx · daaghyn (layout · text)

bane	lheeah	doo
jiarg; feer-yiarg	jiarg-bwee; dhone	bwee; bane-wuigh
	geayney, glass
	gorrym-ghlass, speyr-ghorrym	gorrym
plooreenagh	jiarg gorrym	jiarg-bane

References

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “bane”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Middle Dutch

Etymology 1

From Old Dutch *bana, from Proto-West Germanic *banu, from Proto-Germanic *banō.

Noun

bāne f

1. open field, battlefield
2. lane, track (for playing balls)
3. road, way, path

Inflection

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Descendants

• Dutch: baan
  • Afrikaans: baan
  • → Indonesian: ban
• Limburgish: baan

Etymology 2

From Old Dutch *bano, from Proto-West Germanic *banō, from Proto-Germanic *banô.

Noun

bāne f or m

1. harm, pain

Inflection

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Further reading

• Verwijs, E., Verdam, J. (1885–1929) “bane (I)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page I
• Verwijs, E., Verdam, J. (1885–1929) “bane (II)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page II

Middle English

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old English bana, from Proto-West Germanic *banō, from Proto-Germanic *banô.

Alternative forms

• ban, bayn, beone, bone

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbaːn(ə)/

Noun

bane (plural banes)

1. murderer, slayer
2. bane, destroyer

Descendants

• English: bane
• Scots: bane, baine, bain, bayn, bone

References

• “bāne, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Etymology 2

Noun

bane (plural banes)

1. Alternative form of bon

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

From Middle Low German bane, compare with German Bahn.

Noun

bane m (definite singular banen, indefinite plural baner, definite plural banene)

1. a trajectory
2. a railway line
3. a sports field
4. a racing track
5. orbit (of a satellite, including the moon)

Synonyms

• (orbit): omløpsbane

Derived terms

• badmintonbane
• énskinnebane
• forstadsbane
• fotballbane
• galoppbane
• golfbane
• gondolbane
• hjemmebane
• høyhastighetsbane
• jernbane
• kunstgressbane
• løpebane
• omløpsbane
• privatbane
• racerbane
• rullebane
• sidebane
• skøytebane
• stambane
• T-bane
• taubane
• tennisbane
• tunnelbane
• undergrunnsbane
• veibane

 

Etymology 2

From Old Norse bani.

Noun

bane m (definite singular banen, indefinite plural baner, definite plural banene)

1. death (by murder)

Etymology 3

From Middle Low German bane, compare with German bahnen.

Verb

bane (imperative ban, present tense baner, passive banes, simple past bana or banet or bante, past participle bana or banet or bant, present participle banende)

1. to pave, as in

   bane vei for - pave the way for

References

• “bane” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

From Middle Low German bane, compare with German Bahn.

Noun

bane m or f (definite singular banen or bana, indefinite plural banar or baner, definite plural banane or banene)

1. a trajectory
2. a railway line
3. a sports field
4. a racing track
5. orbit (of a satellite, including the moon)

Derived terms

• badmintonbane
• forstadsbane
• fotballbane
• galoppbane
• golfbane
• gondolbane
• jarnbane
• jernbane
• kunstgrasbane
• laupebane
• løpebane
• privatbane
• racerbane
• rullebane
• sidebane
• skeisebane
• skøytebane
• stambane
• T-bane
• taubane
• tennisbane
• tunnelbane
• undergrunnsbane

 

Etymology 2

From Old Norse bani.

Noun

bane m (definite singular banen, indefinite plural banar, definite plural banane)

1. death (by murder)

Etymology 3

From Middle Low German bane.

Alternative forms

• bana

Verb

bane (present tense banar, past tense bana, past participle bana, passive infinitive banast, present participle banande, imperative bane/ban)

1. to pave, as in

   bane veg for - pave the way for

References

• “bane” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old English

Noun

bāne

1. dative singular of bān

Old Frisian

Bāna.

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *baunu, from Proto-Germanic *baunō. Cognates include Old English bēan, Old Saxon bōna and Old Dutch *bōna.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbaːne/

Noun

bāne f

1. bean

Descendants

• North Frisian:

  Föhr-Amrum: buan

• Saterland Frisian: Boone
• West Frisian: bean, beane, beanne

References

• Bremmer, Rolf H. (2009) An Introduction to Old Frisian: History, Grammar, Reader, Glossary, Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company, →ISBN

Portuguese

Verb

bane

1. inflection of banir:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Scots

Etymology

From Middle English bane, from Old English bān, from Proto-Germanic *bainą.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ben]
• (Doric Scots) IPA^(key): [bin], [bein]

Noun

bane (plural banes)

1. (anatomy) bone, limb

Derived terms

• banie (“bony”)
• breestbane (“breastbone”)
• clatter banes (“castanets”)
• dirlie-bane (“funny bone”)
• fortuin bane, thochtbane (“wishbone”)
• hausebane (“collarbone”)
• hurkle-bane (“hip bone”)
• marrae-bane (“marrowbone”)
• near the bane (“tight-fisted”)
• rickle o banes (“an emaciated, broken-down person or animal”)
• rumple-bane (“rump-bone, coccyx”)
• shackle-bane (“wrist”)
• spaul-bane (“shoulder blade”)
• thee-bane (“thighbone”)

 

Swedish

Etymology

As a simplex noun a borrowing from Old Swedish bani, from Old Norse bani, from Proto-Germanic *banô, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰon-on-, from the o-grade of *gʷʰen- (“to strike, to kill”). Cognate to English bane, Icelandic bani.

The word can be regarded as a reborrowing from Old Swedish mediaeval literature. It is not attested in writing in the 16th and 17th centuries, but was reinforced due to its usage in the mediaeval Swedish country laws, which were in use until the 18th century. During the 17th century its usage is usually accompanied by a definition explaining the meaning. It was revived in the late 17th century due to the resurging interest in the middle ages and the Icelandic sagas, cf. other Icelandic loans from the same era, e.g. idrott, skald, dyrd. Already in SAOB (1899) it is regarded as archaic or literary and mostly used in a few set phrases.

The word survived in the compound baneman (“slayer, murderer”), which is attested from the 16th and 17th centuries, and dialectally in the southern Swedish word hönsbane (“henbane, Hyoscyamus niger”), in standard Swedish bolmört.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /²bɑːnɛ/

Noun

bane c (indeclinable)

1. (archaic) cause of someone’s (violent) death; bane
   • 1830, Fredrika Bremer, translated by Mary Howitt, Familjen H*** [The H— family]‎^[1]:

     Din egen passionerade själ — se där draken, mot vilken du bör strida, vars eld skall förtära dig och bliva andras bane, om den ej kväves.

     […]thy own impassioned soul! Behold the dragon with which thou oughtest to contend—whose fire will consume thee, and be the bane of others, if thou do not subject it.

Derived terms

• banehugg
• baneman
• banesår
• hönsbane

 

References

• bane in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• bane in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

Anagrams

• bena

Yola

Etymology

From Middle English bane, from Old English bān, from Proto-West Germanic *bain, from Proto-Germanic *bainą. Cognate with Scots been (“bone”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /biːn/
• Homophones: been, bin

Noun

bane

1. bone

References

• Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828) William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 24