Cans

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A receptacle usually crafted from metal that is employed for keeping consumables or liquids
2. A common cylindrical vessel typically utilized for the preservation and storage of various products
3. A cylindrical container made of metal designed to hold food or beverages safely

Etymology: The word "cans" here is the plural of the noun "can", the metal container. That noun traces back to Old English "canne", meaning "glass, container, cup, jar", which came from a Proto-Germanic root for a drinking vessel or tankard. For centuries the English word meant a cup or jug in general, and the sense of a sealed metal box for preserving food only arrived much later, once tin-plate and food preservation made that kind of container practical. The same spelling hides a different word. The verb "can", meaning "to be able", descends from Old English "cunnan", "to know how", and is a doublet of "con", the same root that gives "cunning" and "canny". Its present-tense third-person form is "can" itself, so "cans" in that sense is the third-person singular of the verb, which is why dictionaries list it separately from the container noun.

Synonyms: containers

Antonyms: bottles