Main Entry: hemp

Pronunciation: \ˈhemp\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Old English hænep; akin to Old High German hanaf hemp, Greek kannabis

Date: before 12th century

1 a : a tall widely cultivated Asian herb (Cannabis sativa of the family Cannabaceae, the hemp family) that has a tough bast fiber used especially for cordage and that is often separated into a tall loosely branched species (C. sativa) and a low-growing densely branched species (C. indica) b : the fiber of hemp c : a psychoactive drug (as marijuana or hashish) from hemp
2 : a fiber (as jute) from a plant other than the true hemp; also : a plant yielding such fiber