cannabis

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noun can·na·bis \ ˈka-nə-bəs \

Definition of cannabis

1 :hemp 1a

2 :any of the preparations (such as marijuana or hashish) or chemicals (such as THC) that are derived from the hemp and are psychoactive

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Recent Examples of cannabis from the Web

Ruth wants to rail against the Man; Travis wants to grow their shop into the Walmart of cannabis.

— kathryn shattuck, New York Times, "Kathy Bates Finds Peace, With ‘Disjointed’ and Some Herbal Medicine," 25 Aug. 2017
However, no studies have been done on menstrual pain specifically or on cannabis administered through the vagina.

— suzannah weiss, SELF, "7 Vaginal Products and Treatments You Just Don't Need," 17 Aug. 2017
Interestingly, each and every one of us possesses an endocannabinnoid system (ECS) that binds with cannabis.

— stephen b. corn, Fortune, "Marijuana Could Be the Answer to the NFL’s Pain Management Woes," 9 Aug. 2017
Since 2010, one of the men found dead, Miranda, has been convicted of felonies including mob action, forgery, and possession of between 30 and 500 grams of cannabis, according to Kane County court records.

— hannah leone, Aurora Beacon-News, "Two Batavia factory workers shot to death in Aurora, police say," 20 July 2017
One projection, from the Canadian Parliamentary Budget Officer, is that 4.6 million people age 15 and over will use cannabis at least once and consume 655,000 kilograms next year, and that 5.2 million will be doing so by 2021.

— jen skerritt, courant.com, "Canada Prepares For Pot As Some Wonder About Demand," 17 July 2017
A Quinnipiac University poll in February concluded that 59 percent of American voters believe cannabis should be legal.

— avantika chilkoti, New York Times, "States Keep Saying Yes to Marijuana Use. Now Comes the Federal No.," 15 July 2017
When officers made contact with Kroon, reports stated, the smell of cannabis was coming from the vehicle.

— janelle walker, Elgin Courier-News, "Man in Elgin park had LSD, cannabis: police," 3 July 2017
Reports estimate that the cannabis industry will bring in $60 million in tax revenue over the next two years, and Nevada voters in November earmarked the tax money collected to be put into Nevada schools.

— angela helm, The Root, "Vegas Bout To Be Lit—With the Sticky-Icky. Nevada Legalizes Recreational Marijuana Today," 1 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cannabis.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of cannabis

Latin, hemp, from Greek kannabis; akin to Old English hænep hemp

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1783

See Words from the same year

Other Drug/Tobacco Terms

controlled, flake, herb, key, sodden

Medical Dictionary

cannabis

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noun can·na·bis \ ˈkan-ə-bəs \

medical Definition of cannabis

1 a capitalized :a genus of annual herbs (family Moraceae) that have leaves with three to seven elongate leaflets and pistillate flowers in spikes along the leafy erect stems and that include the hemp (C. sativa)

b :hemp 1

2 :any of the preparations (as marijuana or hashish) or chemicals (as THC) that are derived from the hemp and are psychoactive

Learn More about cannabis

Spanish Central: Translation of cannabis Nglish: Translation of cannabis for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of cannabis for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about cannabis

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cannabis

Definition of cannabis

Recent Examples of cannabis from the Web

Origin and Etymology of cannabis

Other Drug/Tobacco Terms

Medical Dictionary

cannabis

medical Definition of cannabis

Learn More about cannabis

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