Caners

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals who engage in breaking or damaging something by force
2. Persons who create or use containers for holding or storing items
3. People who are part of a group or act in a concerted way to achieve a specific purpose

Etymology: "Caners" is the plural of "caner," which is formed from "cane" plus the suffix "-er." The stem goes back to Akkadian "qanûm," a word for a reed. It passed into Ancient Greek as "kánna" and then into Latin as "canna," before Old French gave English "cane" and Middle English adopted it. So the English word for a walking stick or a beating implement descends from a term for a hollow plant stalk. The ending comes from Latin "-arius," a suffix that marked a person or thing connected with something. It reached English through Old French "-ier" and Middle English "-er," and it is the same ending found in many other English agent nouns. Adding it to "cane" gives "caner," and "caners" simply adds the plural "-s."