bane

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈbān 

1

: a source of harm or ruin : curse

national frontiers have been more of a bane than a boon for mankind

—D. C. Thomson

2

a

: death, destruction

… stop the way of those that seek my bane …

—Philip Sidney

b

: woe

c

: poison

d

obsolete : killer, slayer

bane

2 of 3

verb

baned; baning

transitive verb

obsolete

: to kill especially with poison

bane

3 of 3

noun (2)

chiefly Scotland

: bone

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• curse
• nemesis

Examples of bane in a Sentence

Noun (1)

regarding the new laborsaving machinery as a bane, the 19th-century Luddites went about destroying it in protest

a plant that is believed to be the bane of the wolf

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Inclement weather has long been the bane of festivals and outdoor tours, and differentiating between climate change and a stretch of bad storms can be tricky. —David Browne, Rolling Stone, 6 Sep. 2025

In the first episode, my friend Anthony, who’s also a cameraman on the show, talks about vertical video being the bane of society. —Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2025

The bane of garbage cans and general irritation in cities nationwide. —Chad Murphy, The Enquirer, 19 Aug. 2025

By learning from early examples, listening to expert warnings and proactively addressing AI's challenges, humanity can strive to ensure that this revolution becomes more boon than bane for both society and our planet. —Vaibhav Dani, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, "killer, agent of death, death," going back to Old English bana "killer, agent of death," going back to Germanic *banan- (whence also Old Frisian bana, bona "killer," Old High German bano "killer, murderer," Old Norse bani "murderer, violent death"), of uncertain origin

Note: Another Germanic derivative from the same base is represented by Old English benn (feminine strong noun) "wound, sore," Old Saxon beniwunda, Old Norse ben "wound," Gothic banja "blow, wound." Attempts have been made to derive the etymon from Indo-European *g^when- "strike, kill" (see defend), but the general view is that initial *g^wh could not yield b in Germanic. See further discussion in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Althochdeutschen, Band 1, pp. 460-61.

Verb

derivative of bane entry 1

Noun (2)

early Scots and northern Middle English ban, bane, going back to Old English bān — more at bone entry 1

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2d

Verb

1578, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1578, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bane

• ane
• blain
• brain
• cane
• chaine
• cheyne
• deign
• drain
• fain
• fane
• feign
• gain

Kids Definition

bane

noun

ˈbān

1

: poison entry 1 sense 1

2

: a source of harm, ruin, or unhappiness

greed is the bane of humanity

Medical Definition

bane

noun

ˈbān 

: poison see henbane