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
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Noun
The result is side spin on shots hit off the toe and heel, the bane of most recreational golfers, is cut almost in half.—Erik Matuszewski, Forbes, 24 Mar. 2025 Perennials are just starting to send out new buds and shoots, lawns are starting to green, and the weeds—the bane of every gardener's existence—are really coming to life.—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 13 Mar. 2025 These little piles around my home are the bane of my existence.—Sari Hitchins, Parents, 17 Mar. 2025 And then mentioned the bane of many drivers (including me), a flat tire repair kit that Tesla offers.—Brooke Crothers, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bane
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 *gwhen- "strike, kill" (see defend), but the general view is that initial *gwh could not yield b in Germanic. See further discussion in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Althochdeutschen, Band 1, pp. 460-61.
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