can

See also: Appendix:Variations of "can"

EnglishEdit

 
English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Etymology 1Edit

From Middle English can, first and third person singular of connen, cunnen (“to be able, know how”), from Old English can(n), first and third person singular of cunnan (“to know how”), from Proto-Germanic *kunnaną, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- (whence know). Compare West Frisian kinne, Dutch kunnen, Low German könen, German können, Danish and Norwegian Bokmål kunne, Swedish and Norwegian Nynorsk kunna, and Afrikaans kan. Doublet of con. See also: canny, cunning.

Alternative formsEdit

PronunciationEdit

VerbEdit

can (third-person singular simple present can, no present participle, simple past could, past participle (obsolete except in adjectival use) couth)

  1. (auxiliary verb, defective) To know how to; to be able to.
    Synonym: be able to
    Antonyms: cannot, can't, can’t
    She can speak English, French, and German.   I can play football.   Can you remember your fifth birthday?
    • 1449, Reginald Pecock, Represser of over-much weeting [blaming] of the Clergie
      prouyng which eny clerk can or woel or mai make bi eny maner euydence of resoun or of Scripture, and namelich of resoun into the contrarie.
    • 2013 July-August, Lee S. Langston, “The Adaptable Gas Turbine”, in American Scientist:
      Turbines have been around for a long time—windmills and water wheels are early examples. The name comes from the Latin turbo, meaning vortex, and thus the defining property of a turbine is that a fluid or gas turns the blades of a rotor, which is attached to a shaft that can perform useful work.
    • 1611 April (first recorded performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Cymbeline”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act II, scene ii]:
      If thou canst awake by four o' the clock, / I prithee call me. Sleep hath seized me wholly.
  2. (modal auxiliary verb, defective, informal) May; to be permitted or enabled to.
    Synonym: may
    You can go outside and play when you're finished with your homework.   Can I use your pen?
  3. (modal auxiliary verb, defective) To have the potential to; be possible.
    Can it be Friday already?
    Teenagers can really try their parents' patience.
    Animals can experience emotions.
    • 1922, Ben Travers, chapter 5, in A Cuckoo in the Nest:
      The most rapid and most seductive transition in all human nature is that which attends the palliation of a ravenous appetite. […] Can those harmless but refined fellow-diners be the selfish cads whose gluttony and personal appearance so raised your contemptuous wrath on your arrival?
    • 2009, Sym, Annette, Simply Too Good to be True, Greenleaf Book Group, →ISBN, page 4:
      Teenagers can be so cruel, and nicknames cut deep.
  4. (auxiliary verb, defective) Used with verbs of perception.
    Can you hear that?.
    I can feel the baby moving inside me.
  5. (obsolete, transitive) To know.
    Synonyms: cognize, grok, ken
Usage notesEdit
  • For missing forms, substitute inflected forms of be able to, as:
    • I might be able to go.
    • I was able to go yesterday.
    • I have been able to go, since I was seven.
    • I had been able to go before.
    • I will be able to go tomorrow.
  • The word could also suffices in many tenses. “I would be able to go” is equivalent to “I could go”, and “I was unable to go” can be rendered “I could not go”. (Unless there is a clear indication otherwise, “could verb” means “would be able to verb”, but “could not verb” means “was/were unable to verb”.)
  • The present tense negative can not is usually contracted to cannot (more formal) or can’t (less formal).
  • The use of can in asking permission sometimes is criticized as being impolite or incorrect by those who favour the more formal alternative “may I...?”.
  • Can is sometimes used rhetorically to issue a command, placing the command in the form of a request. For instance, “Can you hand me that pen?” as a polite substitution for “Hand me that pen.”
  • Some US dialects that glottalize the final /t/ in can’t (/kæn(ʔ)/), in order to differentiate can’t from can, pronounce can as /kɛn/ even when stressed.
TranslationsEdit
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
See alsoEdit

Etymology 2Edit

From Middle English canne, from Old English canne (“glass, container, cup, can”), from Proto-Germanic *kannǭ (“can, tankard, mug, cup”), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *gan-, *gandʰ- (“a vessel”). Cognate with Scots can (“can”), West Frisian kanne (“a jug, pitcher”), Dutch kan (“pot, mug”), German Kanne (“can, tankard, mug”), Danish kande (“can, mug, a measure”), Swedish kanna (“can, tankard, mug”), Icelandic kanna (“a can”).

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

 
a can (3)

can (plural cans)

  1. A more or less cylindrical vessel for liquids, usually of steel or aluminium, but sometimes of plastic, and with a carrying handle over the top.
  2. A container used to carry and dispense water for plants (a watering can).
  3. A tin-plate canister, often cylindrical, for preserved foods such as fruit, meat, or fish.
  4. (archaic) A chamber pot, now (US, slang) a toilet or lavatory.
    Shit or get off the can.
    Bob's in the can. You can wait a few minutes or just leave it with me.
  5. (US, slang) Buttocks.
  6. (slang) Jail or prison.
    Bob's in the can. He won't be back for a few years.
  7. (slang, in the plural) Headphones.
  8. (archaic) A drinking cup.
  9. (nautical) A cube-shaped buoy or marker used to denote a port-side lateral mark
  10. A chimney pot.
  11. (slang, in the plural) An E-meter used in Scientology auditing.
  12. (US, slang) An ounce (or sometimes, two ounces) of marijuana.
    • For quotations using this term, see Citations:can.
    • 1970, California. Supreme Court, Reports of Cases Determined in the Supreme Court of the State of California
      […] prosecution for selling and giving away marijuana, the evidence clearly constituted substantial proof that a package purchased by defendant contained marijuana where he requested "four cans" of marijuana to be delivered to himself and […]
SynonymsEdit
HyponymsEdit
Hyponyms of can (Etymology 2)
Derived termsEdit
Related termsEdit
Related terms of can (Etymology 2)
TranslationsEdit
chamber pot — see chamber pot
non-offensive slang for toilet — See also translations at toilet
lavatory — see lavatory
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

VerbEdit

can (third-person singular simple present cans, present participle canning, simple past and past participle canned)

  1. To seal in a can.
    They canned air to sell as a novelty to tourists.
  2. To preserve by heating and sealing in a jar or can.
    They spent August canning fruit and vegetables.
  3. To discard, scrap or terminate (an idea, project, etc.).
    He canned the whole project because he thought it would fail.
    • 2020 December 2, Paul Bigland, “My weirdest and wackiest Rover yet”, in Rail, pages 67-68:
      My next stop is Oxford, which has also grown with the addition of new platforms to accommodate the Chiltern Railways service to London via Bicester - although, short sightedly, the planned electrification from Paddington was canned. Evidence of the volte-face can be seen along the line at places such as Radley, where mast piles are already sunk or lie discarded at the lineside.
  4. (transitive, slang) To shut up.
    Can your gob.
  5. (US, euphemistic) To fire or dismiss an employee.
    The boss canned him for speaking out.
  6. (golf, slang, transitive) To hole the ball.
    • 1958, Mayer, Dick, How to Think and Swing Like a Golf Champion, page 186:
      I thought I had canned it, but it just missed, and I tapped in the second one for a par.

SynonymsEdit

Derived termsEdit
TranslationsEdit

AnagramsEdit

AfarEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Proto-Cushitic [Term?]. Cognates include Somali caano and Oromo aannan.

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

cán m (plural caanowá f)

  1. milk

InflectionEdit

Inflection of can
singular plural
absolutive can canoowá
subjective cantí canoowá
genitive cantí canoowá

ReferencesEdit

  • Loren F. Bliese (1981) A Generative Grammar of Afar‎[1], Dallas: Summer Institute of Linguistics and University of Texas at Arlington (doctoral thesis).
  • Mohamed Hassan Kamil (2015) L’afar: description grammaticale d’une langue couchitique (Djibouti, Erythrée et Ethiopie)‎[2], Paris: Université Sorbonne Paris Cité (doctoral thesis)

AragoneseEdit

EtymologyEdit

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

NounEdit

can m (plural cans)

  1. dog

ReferencesEdit

AsturianEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Latin canis, canem.

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

can m (plural canes)

  1. dog (animal)

SynonymsEdit

AzerbaijaniEdit

Other scripts
Cyrillic ҹан
Roman can
Perso-Arabic جان‎

EtymologyEdit

From Persian جان‎ (jân).

PronunciationEdit

  • IPA(key): [d͡ʒɑn], [d͡zɑn]

NounEdit

can (definite accusative canı, plural canlar)

  1. soul, spirit
  2. being, creature, life
  3. body
  4. force, vigour

DeclensionEdit

Declension of can
singular plural
nominative can canlar
definite accusative canı canları
dative cana canlara
locative canda canlarda
ablative candan canlardan
definite genitive canın canların
Possessive forms of can
nominative
singular plural
mənim (“my”) canım canlarım
sənin (“your”) canın canların
onun (“his/her/its”) canı canları
bizim (“our”) canımız canlarımız
sizin (“your”) canınız canlarınız
onların (“their”) canı or canları canları
accusative
singular plural
mənim (“my”) canımı canlarımı
sənin (“your”) canını canlarını
onun (“his/her/its”) canını canlarını
bizim (“our”) canımızı canlarımızı
sizin (“your”) canınızı canlarınızı
onların (“their”) canını or canlarını canlarını
dative
singular plural
mənim (“my”) canıma canlarıma
sənin (“your”) canına canlarına
onun (“his/her/its”) canına canlarına
bizim (“our”) canımıza canlarımıza
sizin (“your”) canınıza canlarınıza
onların (“their”) canına or canlarına canlarına
locative
singular plural
mənim (“my”) canımda canlarımda
sənin (“your”) canında canlarında
onun (“his/her/its”) canında canlarında
bizim (“our”) canımızda canlarımızda
sizin (“your”) canınızda canlarınızda
onların (“their”) canında or canlarında canlarında
ablative
singular plural
mənim (“my”) canımdan canlarımdan
sənin (“your”) canından canlarından
onun (“his/her/its”) canından canlarından
bizim (“our”) canımızdan canlarımızdan
sizin (“your”) canınızdan canlarınızdan
onların (“their”) canından or canlarından canlarından
genitive
singular plural
mənim (“my”) canımın canlarımın
sənin (“your”) canının canlarının
onun (“his/her/its”) canının canlarının
bizim (“our”) canımızın canlarımızın
sizin (“your”) canınızın canlarınızın
onların (“their”) canının or canlarının canlarının

Derived termsEdit

CatalanEdit

PronunciationEdit

ContractionEdit

can

  1. Contraction of ca en (“the house of”).

Further readingEdit

Classical NahuatlEdit

Alternative formsEdit

PronunciationEdit

PronounEdit

cān

  1. where

Derived termsEdit

Related termsEdit

GalicianEdit

 
Can ("dog")

Alternative formsEdit

  • cão (reintegrationist)
  • cam (reintegrationist)

Etymology 1Edit

From Old Galician and Old Portuguese can, from Latin canis, canem. Cognate with Portuguese cão.

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

can m (plural cans)

  1. dog
  2. (historical) 20th century 5, 10 cents of peseta coin
Related termsEdit

Etymology 2Edit

From Old Galician and Old Portuguese quan, from Latin quam. Cognate with Portuguese quão and Spanish cuan.

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

can m (plural cans)

  1. how

Etymology 3Edit

Ultimately from Turkic *qan, contraction of *qaɣan.

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

can m (plural cans)

  1. khan

ReferencesEdit

  • “can” in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval, SLI - ILGA 2006-2012.
  • “can” in Xavier Varela Barreiro & Xavier Gómez Guinovart: Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval. SLI / Grupo TALG / ILG, 2006-2016.
  • “can” in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega, SLI - ILGA 2006-2013.
  • “can” in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega. Santiago: ILG.
  • “can” in Álvarez, Rosario (coord.): Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués, Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega.

InterlinguaEdit

NounEdit

can (plural canes)

  1. dog
  2. cock, hammer (of a firearm)

IrishEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Old Irish canaid, from Proto-Celtic *kaneti (“to sing”), from Proto-Indo-European *keh₂n-. Compare Welsh canu, Latin canō, Ancient Greek καναχέω (kanakhéō), Persian خواندن‎ (xândan).

PronunciationEdit

VerbEdit

can (present analytic canann, future analytic canfaidh, verbal noun canadh, past participle canta)

  1. to sing
    • 2015, Proinsias Mac a' Bhaird, transl.; Maura McHugh, editor, Amhrán na Mara (fiction, paperback), Kilkenny, County Kilkenny; Howth, Dublin: Cartoon Saloon; Coiscéim, translation of Song of the Sea by Will Collins, →ISBN, page 1:
      Thuas i dteach an tsolais, faoi réaltaí geala, canann Bronach Amhrán na Mara dá mac Ben atá cúig bliana d'aois.
      Up in the lighthouse, under twinkling stars, Bronach sings the Song of the Sea to her five-year-old son, Ben.

ConjugationEdit

First Conjugation (A)
singular plural relative autonomous
first second third first second third
indicative present canaim canann tú;
canair†		 canann sé, sí canaimid canann sibh canann siad;
canaid†		 a chanann; a chanas /
a gcanann*; a gcanas* 		cantar
past chan mé; chanas chan tú; chanais chan sé, sí chanamar; chan muid chan sibh; chanabhair chan siad; chanadar a chan /
ar chan* 		canadh
past habitual chanainn / gcanainn‡‡ chantá / gcantᇇ chanadh sé, sí / gcanadh sé, s퇇 chanaimis; chanadh muid / gcanaimis‡‡; gcanadh muid‡‡ chanadh sibh / gcanadh sibh‡‡ chanaidís; chanadh siad / gcanaidís‡‡; gcanadh siad‡‡ a chanadh /
a gcanadh* 		chantaí / gcanta퇇
future canfaidh mé;
canfad 		canfaidh tú;
canfair†		 canfaidh sé, sí canfaimid;
canfaidh muid 		canfaidh sibh canfaidh siad;
canfaid†		 a chanfaidh; a chanfas /
a gcanfaidh*; a gcanfas* 		canfar
conditional chanfainn / gcanfainn‡‡ chanfá / gcanfᇇ chanfadh sé, sí / gcanfadh sé, s퇇 chanfaimis; chanfadh muid / gcanfaimis‡‡; gcanfadh muid‡‡ chanfadh sibh / gcanfadh sibh‡‡ chanfaidís; chanfadh siad / gcanfaidís‡‡; gcanfadh siad‡‡ a chanfadh /
a gcanfadh* 		chanfaí / gcanfa퇇
subjunctive present go gcana mé;
go gcanad†		 go gcana tú;
go gcanair†		 go gcana sé, sí go gcanaimid;
go gcana muid 		go gcana sibh go gcana siad;
go gcanaid†		 — go gcantar
past dá gcanainn dá gcantá dá gcanadh sé, sí dá gcanaimis;
dá gcanadh muid 		dá gcanadh sibh dá gcanaidís;
dá gcanadh siad 		— dá gcantaí
imperative canaim can canadh sé, sí canaimis canaigí;
canaidh†		 canaidís — cantar
verbal noun canadh
past participle canta

* Indirect relative
† Archaic or dialect form
‡‡ Dependent form used with particles that trigger eclipsis

MutationEdit

Irish mutation
Radical Lenition Eclipsis
can chan gcan
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

IstriotEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Latin canis.

NounEdit

can m

  1. dog

ItalianEdit

PronunciationEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Turkic.

Alternative formsEdit

NounEdit

can m (invariable)

  1. Obsolete spelling of khan

Etymology 2Edit

See the etymology of the main entry.

NounEdit

can m (plural cani)

  1. (poetic, literary) Apocopic form of cane; dog

LigurianEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Latin canis, canem.

NounEdit

can m (plural chen)

  1. dog

MandarinEdit

RomanizationEdit

can

  1. Nonstandard spelling of cān.
  2. Nonstandard spelling of cán.
  3. Nonstandard spelling of cǎn.
  4. Nonstandard spelling of càn.

Usage notesEdit

  • English transcriptions of Mandarin speech often fail to distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without the appropriate indication of tone.

Middle DutchEdit

VerbEdit

can

  1. first/third-person singular present indicative of connen

Middle EnglishEdit

Etymology 1Edit

NounEdit

can

  1. Alternative form of canne

Etymology 2Edit

VerbEdit

can

  1. Alternative form of cunnen

Northern KurdishEdit

EtymologyEdit

Related to Persian جان‎ (jân).

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

can ?

  1. soul

OccitanEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Old Occitan [Term?], from Latin canis, canem.

NounEdit

can m (plural cans, feminine canha, feminine plural canhas)

  1. dog, hound

Old OccitanEdit

Alternative formsEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Latin quandō.

ConjunctionEdit

can

  1. when
    • circa 1200, Peire Vidal, Ab l'alen tir vas me l'aire:
      Tan m'es bel quan n'aug ben dire.
      So much it pleases me when I hear it spoken of well.

AdverbEdit

can

  1. (interrogative) when

DescendantsEdit

  • Catalan: quan
  • Occitan: quand

Old PortugueseEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Latin canis (“dog”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱwṓ (“dog”).

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

can m

  1. dog

DescendantsEdit

ScotsEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Middle English can, first and third person singular of connen, cunnen (“to be able, know how”), from Old English can(n), first and third person singular of cunnan (“to know how”), from Proto-West Germanic *kunnan, from Proto-Germanic *kunnaną, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- (whence know).

VerbEdit

can (third-person singular present can, past cud)

  1. can
  2. be able to
    He shuid can dae that. ― He should be able to do that.

Derived termsEdit

Scottish GaelicEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Old Irish canaid (“to sing”), from Proto-Celtic *kaneti (“to sing”), from Proto-Indo-European *keh₂n-. Compare Welsh canu, Latin canō, Ancient Greek καναχέω (kanakhéō), Persian خواندن‎ (xândan).

VerbEdit

can (past chan, future canaidh, verbal noun cantainn, past participle cante)

  1. to say

ReferencesEdit

  • “can” in Edward Dwelly, Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan/The Illustrated [Scottish] Gaelic–English Dictionary, 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, 1911, →ISBN.

SpanishEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Latin canis, canem (compare Romanian câine, Aromanian cãne, Catalan ca, Occitan can, French chien, Italian cane, Portuguese cão), from Proto-Italic *kō (accusative *kwanem), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱwṓ (accusative *ḱwónm̥).

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

can m (plural canes)

  1. (formal) dog, hound
    Synonyms: perro, chucho (colloquial)

HypernymsEdit

HyponymsEdit

Related termsEdit

Further readingEdit

TurkishEdit

EtymologyEdit

Borrowing from Persian جان‎ (jân, “soul, vital spirit, life”). Cognate with English quick.

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

can (definite accusative canı, plural canlar)

  1. soul, life, being
  2. sweetheart

DeclensionEdit

Inflection
Nominative can
Definite accusative canı
Singular Plural
Nominative can canlar
Definite accusative canı canları
Dative cana canlara
Locative canda canlarda
Ablative candan canlardan
Genitive canın canların
Possessive forms
Singular Plural
1st singular canım canlarım
2nd singular canın canların
3rd singular canı canları
1st plural canımız canlarımız
2nd plural canınız canlarınız
3rd plural canları canları

See alsoEdit

VenetianEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Latin canis, canem.

 
Venetian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia vec

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

can m (plural cani)

  1. dog

VietnameseEdit

PronunciationEdit

Etymology 1Edit

Sino-Vietnamese word from 肝.

NounEdit

can

  1. (alternative medicine) liver

Etymology 2Edit

Sino-Vietnamese word from 干.

NounEdit

can

  1. Short for Thiên Can (“celestial stem”).

VerbEdit

can

  1. to concern; to apply to
  2. to be involved (in); to be implicated (in)

Etymology 3Edit

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 諫 (SV: gián).

VerbEdit

can

  1. to dissuade (someone from doing something); to intervene

Etymology 4Edit

From English canne.

NounEdit

(classifier cây, cái) can

  1. walking stick

Etymology 5Edit

VerbEdit

can

  1. to join; to unite; to sew together

Etymology 6Edit

From French calque.

VerbEdit

can

  1. to trace (through translucent paper), to do tracing
Derived termsEdit
Derived terms

VolapükEdit

NounEdit

can (nominative plural cans)

  1. sales commodity, merchandise, wares

DeclensionEdit

declension of can
singular plural
nominative can cans
genitive cana canas
dative cane canes
accusative cani canis
vocative 1 o can! o cans!
predicative 2 canu canus
  • 1 status as a case is disputed
  • 2 in later, non-classical Volapük only

WelshEdit

PronunciationEdit

IPA(key): /kan/

Etymology 1Edit

Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kand- (“to shine, glow”).

See also Ancient Greek κάνδαρος (kándaros, “charcoal”), Albanian hënë (“moon”), Sanskrit चन्द्र (candrá, “shining”) and Old Armenian խանդ (xand).

AdjectiveEdit

can (feminine singular can, plural can, equative canned, comparative cannach, superlative cannaf)

  1. bleached, white

NounEdit

can m (plural caniau)

  1. flour

Derived termsEdit

  • cannaid (“bright, refulgent”)
  • cannu (“to bleach, to whiten”)

Etymology 2Edit

From Proto-Celtic *kantom (“hundred”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱm̥tóm.

NumeralEdit

can

  1. hundred

Usage notesEdit

This is the form the number cant (“hundred”) takes when it precedes a noun.

Etymology 3Edit

From English can.

NounEdit

can m (plural caniau)

  1. a can

MutationEdit

Welsh mutation
radical soft nasal aspirate
can gan nghan chan
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

See alsoEdit

Further readingEdit

  • R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present) , “can”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies
  • Definition from the BBC.

Yucatec MayaEdit

Etymology 1Edit

NumeralEdit

can

  1. Obsolete spelling of kan

Etymology 2Edit

NounEdit

can

  1. Obsolete spelling of kaan
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