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
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Maybe that show becomes the bane of Jacob's existence.—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 23 May 2024 Speaking of 3:10 to Yuma, long before pesky eagles and bloodthirsty ballerina vampires, rusty forks were the bane of your existence.—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 May 2024 That is historically the bane of coach Kyle Shanahan’s datebook (13-19 record, trumped only by an 0-2 mark in February).—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 16 May 2024 Although a bane for consumers, the fees generate about $9 billion a year for card issuers, according to the agency.—Kate Gibson, CBS News, 10 May 2024 However, an obstacle that is the bane of freedom-loving Americans is standing in McElhenney’s and Reynolds’s way.—Byryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 3 May 2024 Normally, driving to Dallas from my southwest Fort Worth apartment is the bane of my existence, but not today.—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Mar. 2024 From early on, the Coastal Commission has been the bane of many developers and some Republicans who have contended the panel and its bureaucrats have strangled reasonable coastal development.—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Mar. 2024 In Glee's second season, Brittany S. Pierce (Heather Morris) finally gets to meet Britney Spears, the bane of her existence, even if only in her imagination.—EW.com, 25 Oct. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bane.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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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