Cain

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The firstborn son of Adam and Eve known for committing the first murder by killing his brother Abel due to jealousy
2. A figure frequently referenced in literature and theology symbolizing treachery and betrayal
3. Name associated with themes of moral failure, punishment, and banishment in various religious texts

Etymology: Cain, the name of the first murderer in the Hebrew Bible, is also an English word in its own right, but not from the Bible at all. It is borrowed from Irish "cáin", a term for a legal or customary tribute, a payment or levy that a lord could demand from a tenant or subject. In English the spelling "kain" (and the variant "cain") refers to such a payment in Irish and Scottish Gaelic law, and the word was taken up by English writers describing those customs. The pairing with a biblical name is a coincidence of spelling: the same letters belong to two unrelated words, one a figure of exile and guilt, the other a dues-payment. Only the Irish word's sense of an imposed obligation links to the notion of a debt owed, which is why the two were never confused in their original contexts.

Synonyms: Cain

Antonyms: Abel