Dictionary

Canaan en · PROPN

Pronunciation

• /ˈkeɪnən/
• /ˈkeɪneɪən/
• /ˈkeɪniən/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Taken (at least as early as Wycliffe's Bible, 1382-1395, which has Chanaan) from Ecclesiastical Latin Chanaān, from Ancient Greek Χαναάν (Khanaán), expanded from Χνᾶ (Khnâ), from Biblical Hebrew כְּנַעַן (kanáʕan). The first vowel shifted from /aː/ to /eɪ/ in the Great Vowel Shift; at least as early as Milton (1660s), the word could already be pronounced with two syllables, though at least as late as the 1880s it could also be pronounced with three, /ˈkeɪ.nə.æn/.

Meanings

1. A historic region of the Middle East, roughly equivalent to Palestine/Israel.
   • Ancient combs were made from wood, bone and ivory, but the latter would have been expensive, imported luxuries. There were no elephants in Canaan at the time. 2022 November 9, Ian Sample, “Oldest known sentence written in first alphabet discovered – on a head-lice comb”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 26 Aug 2024:
2. A grandson of Noah.
   • And Canaan begat Sidon his first born, and Heth, and the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgasite, and the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite, and the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite: and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Genesis 10:15-18:
3. (rare) A male given name from Hebrew of biblical origin.
4. The name of multiple places in North America named after the historic region, including: ▸ A town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States.
5. The name of multiple places in North America named after the historic region, including: ▸ A town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States.
6. The name of multiple places in North America named after the historic region, including: ▸ A number of townships in the United States, listed under Canaan Township.

Forms

Deriveds

Canaanism · West Canaan · Canaanic · New Canaan · Canaanite

Translations (109)

ur کَنْعان (historic region) · sh Kànaan (historic region) · aii ܟܢܲܥܢ (historic region) · ta கானான் (historic region) · chr ᎨᎾᏂ (grandson of Noah) · az Kənan (historic region) · akk 𒆠𒈾𒀭𒈾 (historic region) · sw Kanaani (historic region) · is Kanan (historic region) · akk 𒆠𒈾𒀪𒉌 (historic region) · mn Канаан (historic region) · fr Canaan (historic region) · hi कनान (historic region) · akk 𒆠𒈾𒄴𒈾 (historic region) · sk Kanaán (historic region) · fi Kanaan (historic region) · hu Kánaán (historic region) · af Kanaän (historic region) · akk 𒆠𒈾𒄭 (historic region) · pt Canaã (grandson of Noah) · cu ханаанъ (historic region) · la Chanaān (historic region) · ms Kanaan (grandson of Noah) · vo Kanaän (historic region) · de Kanaan (historic region) · cu ханаанъ (grandson of Noah) · ja カナン (historic region) · tg Канъон (grandson of Noah) · zza Kenan (historic region) · ja カナアン (historic region) · pl Kanaan (historic region) · hy Քանան (historic region) · vi Ca-na-an (historic region) · es Canaán (historic region) · nan-hbl 迦南 (historic region) · mg Kanaana (historic region) · sh Ка̀наан (historic region) · bg Ханаа́н (historic region) · akk 𒆠𒅔𒀀𒉌 (historic region) · pt Canaã (historic region) · he כְּנַעַן (grandson of Noah) · fa کنعان (historic region) · tum Kanani (grandson of Noah) · cs Kanán (grandson of Noah) · akk 𒆠𒈾𒀪𒈾𒈾 (historic region) · te కనాను (historic region) · cs Kanaán (historic region) · ru Ханаа́н (historic region) · th คานาอัน (historic region) · sv Kanaan (historic region) · lo ການາອານ (historic region) · nv Kéínan (grandson of Noah) · kmr Kenan (historic region) · yi כּנען (historic region) · ar كَنْعَان (historic region) · lv Kanaāna (historic region) · eo Kanaano (historic region) · akk 𒆠𒈾𒄿 (historic region) · uz Kanʼon (grandson of Noah) · xcl Քանան (grandson of Noah) · ru Ханаан (grandson of Noah) · bn কেনান (grandson of Noah) · da Kanan (historic region) · akk 𒆠𒈾𒈾 (historic region) · ka ქანაანი (historic region) · nl Kanaän (historic region) · cmn 迦南 (grandson of Noah) · cs Kenaan (grandson of Noah) · uz Kanʼon (historic region) · sl Kanaan (historic region) · kmr Kenan (grandson of Noah) · cmn 迦南 (historic region) · bn কেনান (historic region) · akk 𒆠𒈾𒀪𒈾 (historic region) · yi כּנען (grandson of Noah) · gl Canaán (historic region) · tg Канъон (historic region) · ms Kanaan (historic region) · el Χαναάν (historic region) · uk Ханаан (historic region) · he כְּנַעַן (historic region) · nv Kéínan (historic region) · grc Χαναάν (historic region) · chr ᎨᎾᏂ (historic region) · ast Canaán (historic region) · it Canaan (historic region) · lt Kanaanas (historic region) · yue 迦南 (grandson of Noah) · yue 迦南 (historic region) · hy Քանան (grandson of Noah) · eu Kanaan (historic region) · hak 迦南 (historic region) · pa ਕਨਾਨ (historic region) · akk 𒆠𒈾𒄴𒄭 (historic region) · et Kaanan (historic region) · tr Kenan (historic region) · cdo 迦南 (historic region) · fy Kanaän (historic region) · xcl երկիր Քանանու (historic region) · am ከነዓን (historic region) · ce Канӏан (historic region) · swb Kanani (historic region) · chr ᎨᎾᏂᏱ (historic region) · ko 가나안 (historic region) · akk 𒆠𒈾𒄴𒉌 (historic region) · tum Kanani (historic region) · be Ханаа́н (historic region) · ca Canaan (historic region) · rue Канаан (historic region)

wikipedia: Great Vowel Shift · wikipedia: Wycliffe's Bible · wikidata: Q163329 · wikipedia: Canaan · wikidata: Q204797