BANE

Meaning

A cause of misery or ruin.

Etymology

Origin: Old English

Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *banô Proto-West Germanic *banō Old English bana Middle English bane English bane The noun is derived from Middle English bane (“person or thing that destroys life, murderer, slayer; person who destroys the soul; destruction of life, death, doom; poison”), from Old English bana (“person or thing that causes death, murderer”), from Proto-West Germanic *banō, from Proto-Germanic *banô (“killer, murderer, slayer; death, bane”), probably ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰen- (“to slay, kill; to strike”). The verb is derived from the noun. cognates * Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐌽𐌾𐌰 (banja, “wound”) * Old Frisian bona (“death; murder”) * Old Norse bani (Danish bane (“death; murder”), Icelandic bani (“bane, death”), Swedish bane (“death; murder”)), Old Norse ben (“(moral) wound”) * Old English ben, benn (“mortal injury; wound”) * Old High German bano (“death”) (Middle High German ban, bane) * Old Saxon bano (“death; murder”), beni (“mortal injury; wound”)

Synonyms & Antonyms

NYT Puzzle Appearances

Accepted in 16 recorded puzzles:

• 2026-09-21NABEJLY
• 2026-09-06BADEGNO
• 2026-08-18BADEGHN
• 2026-03-28NABEMKT
• 2025-12-14BVANIEL
• 2025-12-05ENAMCBI
• 2025-09-05ABEJLNY
• 2025-05-25NPAOEBL
• 2025-04-19NAIEBFL
• 2024-11-17NABEILP
• 2024-09-21NAWOJEB
• 2024-02-22BANDCEU

+4 earlier appearances in the archive.