# can
## English
### Etymology 1

From Middle English can, first and third person singular of connen, cunnen (“to be able, know how”), from Old English can(n), first and third person singular of cunnan (“to know how”), from Proto-West Germanic *kunnan, from Proto-Germanic *kunnaną, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- (whence also know). Doublet of con. See also: canny, cunning.

#### Alternative forms

* canne (obsolete)
* kin (pronunciation spelling)

#### Pronunciation

* (stressed)
** enPR: kăn
** (Received Pronunciation, Ireland) IPA: /ˈkæn/, [ˈkʰan], [ˈkʰæn]
** (General American, Canada) IPA: /ˈkæn/, [ˈkʰæn], [ˈkʰɛən ~ ˈkʰeən] (see /æ/ raising)
*** (Philadelphia) IPA: /ˈkɛn/
** (General Australian) IPA: /ˈkæn/, [ˈkʰæn], [ˈkʰɛːn] (see /æ/ raising)
** (New Zealand) IPA: /ˈkɛn/, [ˈkʰɛˑn]
** Audio (US):(file)
** Rhymes: -æn
* (unstressed)
** IPA: /kən/, [kʰən], [kʰn̩]
** Audio (US, unstressed form):(file)

#### Pronunciation notes

* Some US dialects that glottalize the final /t/ in can’t ([kæn(ʔ)]), in order to differentiate can’t from can, pronounce can as /kɛn/ even when stressed.

#### Verb

can (third-person singular simple present can, present participle (by suppletion) able, simple past could, past participle (obsolete except in adjectival use) couth)
* (auxiliary verb, defective) To know how to.
    Antonyms: cannot, can't
    She can speak English, French, and German.
    I can play football.
** 1449, Reginald Pecock, Represser of over-much weeting [blaming] of the Clergie:prouyng which eny clerk can or woel or mai make bi eny maner euydence of resoun or of Scripture, and namelich of resoun into the contrarie.
** 1611 April (first recorded performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Cymbeline”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]:If thou canst awake by four o' the clock, / I prithee call me. Sleep hath seized me wholly.
* (auxiliary verb, defective) To be able to.
    Synonym: be able to
    Antonyms: cannot, can't
    Can you remember your fifth birthday?
    Animals can experience emotions.
    Can you hear that?
    I can feel the baby moving inside me.
** 2013 July–August, Lee S. Langston, “The Adaptable Gas Turbine”, in American Scientist:Turbines have been around for a long time—windmills and water wheels are early examples. The name comes from the Latin turbo, meaning vortex, and thus the defining property of a turbine is that a fluid or gas turns the blades of a rotor, which is attached to a shaft that can perform useful work.
* (modal auxiliary verb, defective, informal) May; to be permitted or enabled to.
    Synonym: may
    Antonyms: cannot, can't, may not, mayn't
    You can go outside and play when you're finished with your homework.
    Can I use your pen?
* (modal auxiliary verb, defective) To have the potential to; to be possible for (someone or something) to.
    Antonyms: cannot, can't
    Can it be Friday already?
    Teenagers can really try their parents' patience.
** 1921, Ben Travers, chapter 5, in A Cuckoo in the Nest, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1925, →OCLC:The most rapid and most seductive transition in all human nature is that which attends the palliation of a ravenous appetite. […] Can those harmless but refined fellow-diners be the selfish cads whose gluttony and personal appearance so raised your contemptuous wrath on your arrival?
** 2009, Annette Sym, Simply Too Good to be True, Greenleaf Book Group, →ISBN, page 4:Teenagers can be so cruel, and nicknames cut deep.
* (modal auxiliary verb, defective, informal) Used to form requests, typically polite.
    Can you please come over here?
    Can we try that scene again?
* (obsolete, transitive) To know.
    Synonyms: cognize, grok, ken
** ca.1360-1387, William Langland, Piers Plowman
    I can rimes of Robin Hood.
** ca.1360-1387, William Langland, Piers Plowman
    I can no Latin, quod she.
** 1593, [William Shakespeare], Venus and Adonis, London: […] Richard Field, […], →OCLC:Let the priest in surplice white, / That defunctive music can.
* (India, nonstandard, proscribed) To be (followed by a word like able, possible, allowed).
** 2011 November 29, Tai-hoon Kim, Hojjat Adeli, Carlos Ramos, Byeong-Ho Kang, Signal Processing, Image Processing and Pattern Recognition: International Conferences, SIP 2011, Held as Part of the Future Generation Information Technology Conference, FGIT 2011, in Conjunction with GDC 2011, Jeju Island, Korea, December 8-10, 2011. Proceedings, Springer Science & Business Media, →ISBN, page 114:Importance of Identifying Leaf: Identify Plants: If we can able to identify leaf, we can easily able to identify plants.
** 2018 February 15, Asha Bajpai, Child Rights in India: Law, Policy, and Practice, Oxford University Press, →ISBN:Children in need of care and protection can allowed to be placed in foster care based on the orders of the CWC. The selection of the foster family is based on the family's ability, intent, capacity, and prior experience of taking care […]
** 2020 May 22, Pardeep Kumar, Vasaki Ponnusamy, Vishal Jain, Industrial Internet of Things and Cyber-Physical Systems: Transforming the Conventional to Digital: Transforming the Conventional to Digital, IGI Global, →ISBN, page 226:It can possible to design the ruleset refreshes that allow them to subsequently run at precise interludes and these keep informed.

##### Usage notes

* For missing forms, substitute inflected forms of be able to, as:
** I might be able to go.
** I have been able to go, since I was seven.
** I had been able to go before.
** I will be able to go tomorrow.
* The word could also suffices in many tenses. “I would be able to go” is equivalent to “I could go”, and “I was able to go” can be rendered “I could go”. (Unless there is a clear indication otherwise, “could verb” means “was able to verb”, but “could not verb” means “was/were unable to verb”.)
* The present tense negative can not is usually contracted to cannot (more formal) or can’t (less formal).
* The use of can in asking permission sometimes is criticized as being impolite or incorrect by those who favour the more formal alternative “may I...?”.
* Some US dialects that glottalize the final /t/ in can’t (/kæn(ʔ)/), in order to differentiate can’t from can, pronounce can as /kɛn/ even when stressed.

##### Conjugation

$^†$ Archaic or obsolete. $^1$ Dialectal.

##### Derived terms

* as best as one can
* because one can
* can-do
* can do with
* can haz
* can not
* can too
* can wait
* can you not
* could not get elected dogcatcher
* nice work if you can get it
* no can do
* the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must
* unable to can
* what can I do you for
* what can I say
* what can I tell you
* what can you do

##### Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

##### See also

* Appendix:English modal verbs
* Appendix:English tag questions

#### Interjection

can (Manglish, Singlish)
* OK, sure; indicates approval or acknowledgment.
* (with falling or rising-falling pitch) Used to convey reassurance.

#### Particle

can (Manglish, Singlish)
* (interrogative) OK?; used at the end of a question when seeking approval or acknowledgment.
    I cut this wire, can? ― I’ll cut this wire, OK?
** 1989, Eleanor Wong, Jackson on a Jaunt, or, Mistaken Identities, page 8, lines 1–3:Can you go collect them or not? The shop is at Jalan Sultan. I’m not free, otherwise I’ll do it myself. Can?
** 2020 June 29, Poh Yong Han, “A Regular Singaporean’s Guide To Each Party’s Vision For The Economy”, in ricemedia.co‎, archived from the original on 23 May 2024:It feels like a cheap gimmick to attract environmentalist types, when I don’t see any concrete policies to address that. If you don’t care, then don’t pretend to care leh. If you care, then make sure you got details to back you up, can?

### Etymology 2

From Middle English canne, from Old English canne (“glass, container, cup, can”), from Proto-Germanic *kannǭ (“can, tankard, mug, cup”).

#### Pronunciation

* (Received Pronunciation, General American) enPR: kăn, IPA: /ˈkæn/
** Rhymes: -æn
* (General Australian, Southern England) IPA: /ˈkæːn/
* (æ-tensing) IPA: [ˈkeən]
* Audio (UK):(file)

#### Noun

can (plural cans)
* A container or vessel, especially for liquids, usually made of metal.
    I keep a can of fuel for emergencies.
** A sealed metal container, cylindrical or cuboid in form, typically used to store preserved foods.
    Synonym: (Australia, Britain, and some Commonwealth nations) tin
    Soup in a can lasts for years.
* A container used to carry and dispense water for plants (a watering can).
* (archaic) A chamber pot.
** (US, slang) a toilet or lavatory.
    (toilet): Synonyms: see Thesaurus:chamber pot, Thesaurus:toilet
    (place with a toilet): Synonyms: see Thesaurus:bathroom
    Shit or get off the can.
    Bob's in the can. You can wait a few minutes or just leave it with me.
*** 1951, J. D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye, Boston, Mass.: Little, Brown and Company, →OCLC, page 35:I didn't have anything special to do, so I went down to the can and chewed the rag with him while he was shaving.
*** 1977-1980, Lou Sullivan, personal diary, quoted in 2019, Ellis Martin, Zach Ozma (editors), We Both Laughed In Pleasure
    If he was going to hide out in the can, he can just stay there & sleep in the tub.
* (US, slang) Buttocks.
* (slang) Jail or prison.
    Bob’s in the can. He won’t be back for a few years.
** 1988, The Traveling Wilburys (lyrics and music), “Tweeter and the Monkey Man”, in The Traveling Wilburys, Vol. 1:The undercover cop never liked the Monkey Man / Even back in childhood, he wanted to see him in the can
* (slang, in the plural) Headphones.
* (archaic) A drinking cup.
** 1600, [Michael Drayton, Richard Hathwaye, Anthony Munday, Robert Wilson], The First Part of the True and Honorable Historie, of the Life of Sir John Old-castle, the Good Lord Cobham. […]‎, London: […] [V[alentine] S[immes]] for Thomas Pauier, […], →OCLC:VVhen the vulgar ſort / Sit on their Ale-bench, vvith their cups and kannes, / Matters of ſtate be not their common talke, / Nor pure religion by their lips prophande.
** c. 1601–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or What You Will”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iii]:SIR ANDREW: Nay, my troth, I know not: but I know, to be up late is to be up late. / SIR TOBY: A false conclusion: I hate it as an unfilled can.
** 1842, Alfred Tennyson, “A Vision of Sin”, in Poems. […], volume II, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 218:Fill the cup and fill the can: / Have a rouse before the morn: / Every minute dies a man, / Every minute one is born.
* (nautical) A cylindrical buoy or marker used to denote a port-side lateral mark
* A chimney pot.
* (slang, in the plural) An E-meter used in Scientology auditing.
* (US, slang) An ounce (or sometimes, two ounces) of marijuana.
** 1970, California. Supreme Court, Reports of Cases Determined in the Supreme Court of the State of California:[…] prosecution for selling and giving away marijuana, the evidence clearly constituted substantial proof that a package purchased by defendant contained marijuana where he requested "four cans" of marijuana to be delivered to himself and […]
* A protective cover for the fuel element in a nuclear reactor.
* (vulgar, slang, Canada, US) The breasts of a woman.

##### Hyponyms

* aerosol can
* beer can
* billycan
* garbage can
* jerrycan
* lading-can
* soda can
* spray can
* sprinkling can
* tin can
* trash can
* watering can

##### Derived terms

* ashcan
* booze can
* canakin
* can buoy
* candock
* can-eater
* canful
* can hook
* canhouse
* can house
* can kicker
* can-kicking
* cankin
* can light
* canlike
* Canner
* cannery
* cannular
* can of corn
* can of worms
* can opener
* cantenna
* carry the can
* cheese in a can
* chimney can
* cream in the can
* crowler
* dunny can
* firecan
* GI can
* hot water can
* in the can
* kick at the can
* kick the can
* kick-the-can
* kick the can down the road
* know someone from a can of paint
* milk can
* minican
* oilcan
* open a can of whoop ass
* open up a can of whoop ass
* rattle can
* sea can
* shitcan
* shower in a can
* spam in a can
* tie a can to it
* tip the can
* tomato can
* water can

##### Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

#### Verb

can (third-person singular simple present cans, present participle canning, simple past and past participle canned)
* (transitive) To seal in a can.
    They canned air to sell as a novelty to tourists.
* (transitive) To preserve by heating and sealing in a jar or can.
    They spent August canning fruit and vegetables.
* (transitive) To discard, scrap or terminate (an idea, project, etc.).
    He canned the whole project because he thought it would fail.
** 2020 December 2, Paul Bigland, “My weirdest and wackiest Rover yet”, in Rail, pages 67–68:My next stop is Oxford, which has also grown with the addition of new platforms to accommodate the Chiltern Railways service to London via Bicester - although, short sightedly, the planned electrification from Paddington was canned. Evidence of the volte-face can be seen along the line at places such as Radley, where mast piles are already sunk or lie discarded at the lineside.
* (transitive, slang) To shut up.
    Can your gob.
** 1929, Elmer Rice, Street Scene, New York City: Samuel French, Act II, page 146:Maurrant: Aw, can all that talk! You been listenin’ to them bolshevikis, that’s the trouble.
* (US, euphemistic, transitive) To fire or dismiss an employee.
    The boss canned him for speaking out.
** 2022 November 25, B. Cost, “Man wins legal right to be 'boring' at work, gets $3K from company”, in New York Post‎, NYP Holdings, retrieved 2022-11-27:As a result of his refusal, the employee was subsequently canned in 2015 on the basis of "professional inadequacy" and failing to embody the "party" atmosphere that the consultancy was trying to cultivate.
* (golf, slang, transitive) To hole the ball.
** 1958, Dick Mayer, How to Think and Swing Like a Golf Champion, page 186:I thought I had canned it, but it just missed, and I tapped in the second one for a par.
* (transitive) To cover (the fuel element in a nuclear reactor) with a protective cover.

##### Synonyms

* (discard): bin, dump, scrap; see also Thesaurus:junk
* (shut up): can it, stifle; see also Thesaurus:stop talking or Thesaurus:make silent
* (dismiss an employee): axe, let go, sack; see also Thesaurus:lay off

##### Derived terms

* cannable
* canner
* canning
* decan
* recan
* uncan

##### Translations
### See also

* cancan / can-can
* Obamacan / Obama-can

### References

* “can”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

### Anagrams

* ANC, CNA, NAC, NCA

## Afar
### Etymology

Related to Somali caano, Oromo aannan and Saho xan.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈħan/ [ˈħʌn]
* Hyphenation: can

### Noun

cán m (plural caanowá f or canooná f)
* milk

#### Declension

absolutive
cán
predicative
cána
subjective
cán
genitive
cantí
Postpositioned forms
l-case
cánal
k-case
cának
t-case
cánat
h-case
cánah :

### References

* Loren F. Bliese (1981) A Generative Grammar of Afar‎, Dallas: Summer Institute of Linguistics and University of Texas at Arlington (doctoral thesis).
* E. M. Parker, R. J. Hayward (1985) “can”, in An Afar-English-French dictionary (with Grammatical Notes in English), University of London, →ISBN
* Mohamed Hassan Kamil (2015) L’afar: description grammaticale d’une langue couchitique (Djibouti, Erythrée et Ethiopie)‎, Paris: Université Sorbonne Paris Cité (doctoral thesis)

## Aragonese
### Etymology

From Latin canis, canem.

### Noun

can m (plural cans)
* dog

### References

* Bal Palazios, Santiago (2002) “can”, in Dizionario breu de a luenga aragonesa, Zaragoza, →ISBN

## Asturian
### Etymology

From Latin canis, canem.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈkan/ [ˈkãŋ]
* Rhymes: -an
* Syllabification: can

### Noun

can m (plural canes)
* dog (animal)

#### Synonyms

* perru

## Azerbaijani
### Etymology

Old Anatolian Turkish جان (cān), from Persian جان (jân).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [d͡ʒɑn], [d͡zɑn]
* Audio:(file)

### Noun

can (definite accusative canı, plural canlar)
* soul, spirit
* being, creature, life
* body (in expressions concerning body sensations)
    Synonym: bədən
    Canım ağrıyır. ― My body is aching.
    Canıma üşütmə düşdü. ― My body is shivering.
* force, vigour
* life (the state of organisms preceding their death)
    canını almaq ― to kill (literally, “to take the life of”)

#### Derived terms

* can atmaq
* cangüdən
* canlandırmaq
* canlanmaq
* canlı
* cansıxıcı

## Catalan
### Pronunciation

* IPA: (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [ˈkan]

### Contraction

can
* Contraction of ca en (“the house of”).

### Further reading

* “can” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

## Chinese
### Etymology 1

Clipping of English canteen.

#### Pronunciation

* Cantonese (Jyutping): ken$^6$ / ken$^{6-2}$
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: ken$^6$ / ken$^{6-2}$
*** Cantonese Pinyin: ken$^6$ / ken$^{6-2}$
*** Sinological IPA : /kʰɛːn²²/, /kʰɛːn²²⁻³⁵/

#### Noun

can
* (Hong Kong Cantonese, university slang) canteen; restaurant (in a university campus)

### Etymology 2

Clipping of English cancer.

#### Pronunciation

* Cantonese (Jyutping): ken$^1$
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: ken$^1$
*** Cantonese Pinyin: ken$^1$
*** Sinological IPA : /kʰɛːn⁵⁵/

#### Noun

can
* (Hong Kong Cantonese) cancer

##### Synonyms

* cancer, 癌症 (áizhèng)

## Classical Nahuatl
### Alternative forms

* cānin

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /kaːn/

### Pronoun

cān
* where

#### Derived terms

* campa
* canah

#### Related terms

* ahcān
* nicān
* oncān

## Gagauz
### Etymology

Inherited from Old Anatolian Turkish جان (cān), from Persian جان (jân).Compare Turkish can, Azerbaijani can.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /d͡ʒɑn/

### Noun

can (definite accusative canı, plural cannar)
* an individual's life, soul, life
    canını ortaya koymaato put one's life in line
* soul, spirit
* life, vigor

#### Derived terms

* can alıcı
* can düülmesi
* can kurtaran
* can vermää
* cana yakın
* canı acımaa
* canı çekmää
* canı sıkılmaa
* canım
* cannanmaa
* cannı
* cansız

#### Related terms

* cambaz
* canavar

### References

* ↑ Nişanyan, Sevan (2002–) “can”, in Nişanyan Sözlük
* ↑ András Rajki, A Concise Gagauz Dictionary with etymologies and Turkish, Azerbaijani, Crimean Tatar and Turkmen cognates, 2007

### Further reading

* Kopuşçu M. İ. , Todorova S. A. , Kiräkova T.İ., editors (2019), “can”, in Gagauzça-rusça sözlük: klaslar 5-12, Komrat: Gagauziya M.V. Maruneviç adına Bilim-Aaraştırma merkezi, →ISBN, page 40
* Mavrodi M. F., editor (2019), “can”, in Gagauzça-rusça sözlük: klaslar 1-4, Komrat: Gagauziya M.V. Maruneviç adına Bilim-Aaraştırma merkezi, →ISBN, page 20

## Galician
### Alternative forms

* cão (reintegrationist)

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈkaŋ/ [ˈkɑŋ]
* Rhymes: -aŋ

### Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese can, from Latin canis, canem. Cognate with Portuguese cão.

#### Noun

can m (plural cans)
* dog
    Cando o can ladra na rúa, non ladra de balde.When the dog barks in the street, it does not bark for nothing
* (historical) 20th century 5, 10 cents of peseta coin

##### Related terms

* cadela
* caíño
* cairo
* can de palleiro
* dente cairo

### Etymology 2

Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese quan, from Latin quam. Cognate with Portuguese quão and Spanish cuan.

#### Noun

can m (plural cans)
* how

### Etymology 3

Borrowed from Old French chan, from Medieval Latin canus, ultimately from Turkic *qan, contraction of *qaɣan.

#### Noun

can m (plural cans)
* khan

### References

* Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, Ana Isabel Boullón Agrelo (2006–2022) “can”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
* Xavier Varela Barreiro, Xavier Gómez Guinovart (2006–2018) “can”, in Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
* Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “can”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
* Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “can”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
* Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “can”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

## Interlingua
### Noun

can (plural canes)
* dog
* cock, hammer (of a firearm)

## Irish
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /kan̪ˠ/, /kanˠ/

### Etymology 1

From Old Irish canaid, from Proto-Celtic *kaneti (“to sing”), from Proto-Indo-European *keh₂n-. Compare Welsh canu, Latin canō, Ancient Greek καναχέω (kanakhéō), Persian خواندن (xândan).

#### Verb

can (present analytic canann, future analytic canfaidh, verbal noun canadh, past participle canta)
* to sing
** 2015 [2014], Will Collins, translated by Proinsias Mac a' Bhaird, edited by Maura McHugh, Amhrán na Mara (fiction; paperback), Kilkenny, County Kilkenny, Howth, Dublin: Cartoon Saloon; Coiscéim, translation of Song of the Sea (in English), →ISBN, page 1:Thuas i dteach an tsolais, faoi réaltaí geala, canann Bronach Amhrán na Mara dá mac Ben atá cúig bliana d'aois.[original: Up in the lighthouse, under twinkling stars, Bronach sings the Song of the Sea to her five-year-old son, Ben.]
* (Ulster) to speak, talk
    Synonyms: labhair, bí ag caint

##### Conjugation

| verbal noun | canadh | canadh | canadh | canadh | canadh | canadh | canadh | canadh |
| past participle | canta | canta | canta | canta | canta | canta | canta | canta |
| tense | singular | singular | singular | plural | plural | plural | relative | autonomous |
| tense | first | second | third | first | second | third | relative | autonomous |
| indicative |||||||||
| present | canaim | canann tú; canair$^†$ | canann sé, sí | canaimid | canann sibh | canann siad; canaid$^†$ | a chanann; a chanas / a gcanann* | cantar |
| past | chan mé; chanas | chan tú; chanais | chan sé, sí | chanamar; chan muid | chan sibh; chanabhair | chan siad; chanadar | a chan / ar chan* | canadh |
| past habitual | chanainn / gcanainn‡‡ | chantá / gcantá‡‡ | chanadh sé, sí / gcanadh sé, sí‡‡ | chanaimis; chanadh muid / gcanaimis‡‡; gcanadh muid‡‡ | chanadh sibh / gcanadh sibh‡‡ | chanaidís; chanadh siad / gcanaidís‡‡; gcanadh siad‡‡ | a chanadh / a gcanadh* | chantaí / gcantaí‡‡ |
| future | canfaidh mé; canfad | canfaidh tú; canfair$^†$ | canfaidh sé, sí | canfaimid; canfaidh muid | canfaidh sibh | canfaidh siad; canfaid$^†$ | a chanfaidh; a chanfas / a gcanfaidh* | canfar |
| conditional | chanfainn / gcanfainn‡‡ | chanfá / gcanfá‡‡ | chanfadh sé, sí / gcanfadh sé, sí‡‡ | chanfaimis; chanfadh muid / gcanfaimis‡‡; gcanfadh muid‡‡ | chanfadh sibh / gcanfadh sibh‡‡ | chanfaidís; chanfadh siad / gcanfaidís‡‡; gcanfadh siad‡‡ | a chanfadh / a gcanfadh* | chanfaí / gcanfaí‡‡ |
| subjunctive |||||||||
| present | go gcana mé; go gcanad$^†$ | go gcana tú; go gcanair$^†$ | go gcana sé, sí | go gcanaimid; go gcana muid | go gcana sibh | go gcana siad; go gcanaid$^†$ | — | go gcantar |
| past | dá gcanainn | dá gcantá | dá gcanadh sé, sí | dá gcanaimis; dá gcanadh muid | dá gcanadh sibh | dá gcanaidís; dá gcanadh siad | — | dá gcantaí |
| imperative |||||||||
| – | canaim | can | canadh sé, sí | canaimis | canaigí; canaidh$^†$ | canaidís | — | cantar |
* indirect relative † archaic or dialect form ‡‡ dependent form used with particles that trigger eclipsis

### Etymology 2
#### Noun

can m (genitive singular cana)
* sawdust, wood shavings
* dandruff

##### Declension

bare forms
singular
nominative
can
vocative
a chan
genitive
cana
dative
can
forms with the definite article
singular
nominative
an can
genitive
an chana
dative
leis an gcan don chan :

### Etymology 3
#### Noun

can m
* state, condition

#### Adverb

can
* (literary) whence

##### Derived terms

* can duit? (“where are you from?”)

### Mutation

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish. All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

### References

* ↑ Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “canaid”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

### Further reading

* Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “canaim”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 113
* Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “can”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN

## Istriot
### Etymology

From Latin canis.

### Noun

can m
* dog

## Italian
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈkan/
* Rhymes: -an
* Hyphenation: càn

### Etymology 1

From Turkic.

#### Alternative forms

* cane

#### Noun

can m (uncountable)
* (obsolete) Alternative spelling of khan

### Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

#### Noun

can m (apocopated)
* (poetic, literary) Apocopic form of cane; dog

## Ligurian
### Alternative forms

* càn

### Etymology

From Latin canis, canem (“dog”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /kaŋ/

### Noun

can m (plural chen, diminutive cagnetto or cagnin, feminine cagna)
* dog, male dog

#### Related terms

* cagnara

## Lombard
### Etymology

From Latin Latin canis. Cognate with Italian cane.

### Noun

can
* dog

## Malay
### Noun

can
* (Pontianak) job
* (Medan) opportunity

## Mandarin
### Romanization

can
* Nonstandard spelling of cān.
* Nonstandard spelling of cán.
* Nonstandard spelling of cǎn.
* Nonstandard spelling of càn.

#### Usage notes

* Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

## Middle Dutch
### Verb

can
* first/third-person singular present indicative of connen

## Middle English
### Etymology 1
#### Noun

can
* Alternative form of canne

### Etymology 2
#### Verb

can
* Alternative form of cunnen

## Northern Kurdish
### Etymology

Akin to Central Kurdish, Southern Kurdish and Gurani گیان (gian), Zazaki gan, Persian جان (jân); from Proto-Iranian *wyaHnáH. Badini giyan is borrowed from Sorani.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /d͡ʒɑːn/

### Noun

can m
* spirit
* dear
    Bra can!Dear brother!
* A suffix for showing endearment mostly used by children towards family members
    Bavo canDaddy
    Daê canMommy

#### Usage notes

In formal settings, can usually cannot be used to mean "dear" and hêja is used instead.

## Occitan
### Etymology

From Old Occitan [Term?], from Latin canis, canem.

### Pronunciation

* Audio:(file)

### Noun

can m (plural cans, feminine canha, feminine plural canhas)
* dog, hound

## Old English
### Verb

can
* first/third-person singular preterite indicative of cunnan

## Old Galician-Portuguese
### Etymology

From Latin canem (“dog”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱwṓ (“dog”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈkã/

### Noun

can m (plural cans)
* dog
** 13th century, Cancioneiro da Biblioteca Nacional, Alfonso X of Castile, B 476: Non quer'eu donzela fea (facsimile)
    Non quereu donzela fea / E ueloſa come camI do not want an ugly maiden, as hairy as a dog

#### Descendants

* Galician: can
* Portuguese: cão

## Old Occitan
### Alternative forms

* quan

### Etymology

From Latin quandō.

### Conjunction

can
* when
** c. 1200, Peire Vidal, Ab l'alen tir vas me l'aire:Tan m'es bel quan n'aug ben dire.So much it pleases me when I hear it spoken of well.

### Adverb

can
* (interrogative) when

#### Descendants

* Occitan: quand

## Salar
### Etymology

From Persian جان (jân, “soul, life, life force”).

### Pronunciation

* (Jiezi, Gaizi, Qingshui, Xunhua, Qinghai) IPA: [ʒɑn]
* (Jiezi, Gaizi, Xunhua, Qinghai) IPA: [ʒɑːn]
* (Mengda, Qingshui, Xunhua, Qinghai) IPA: [ʝɑn]

### Noun

can
* soul

### References

* Tenishev, Edhem (1976) “can”, in Stroj salárskovo jazyká [Grammar of Salar], Moscow, pages 371, 564

## Scots
### Etymology

From Middle English can, first and third person singular of connen, cunnen (“to be able, know how”), from Old English can(n), first and third person singular of cunnan (“to know how”), from Proto-West Germanic *kunnan, from Proto-Germanic *kunnaną, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- (whence know).

### Verb

can (third-person singular simple present can, simple past cud)
* can
* be able to
    He shuid can dae that. ― He should be able to do that.

#### Derived terms

* cannae (“cannot”)

## Scottish Gaelic
### Etymology

From Old Irish canaid (“to sing”), from Proto-Celtic *kaneti (“to sing”), from Proto-Indo-European *keh₂n-. Compare Welsh canu, Latin canō, Ancient Greek καναχέω (kanakhéō), Persian خواندن (xândan).

### Verb

can (past chan, future canaidh, verbal noun cantainn or canail or cantail, past participle cante)
* to say
    cha chan mi càil mus can mi cus ― I won't say anything before I've said too much
* to sing (a song)
* future indicative dependent of can

#### Usage notes

* In most dialects of Scottish Gaelic still spoken, with the notable exception of Islay, the future and conditional tenses and the imperative form are very often used for the verb abair in place of the actual abair forms, particularly in colloquial language; the abair forms are recognised but considered Biblical or excessively formal. Some northern dialects, such as Skye and Lewis, extend this to verbal noun forms derived from can, such as cantainn and canail.

### References

* Edward Dwelly (1911) “can”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary]‎, 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN

## Spanish
### Etymology

Inherited from Latin canis, canem (“dog”). Cognate with Catalan ca, Galician can, Portuguese cão.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈkan/ [ˈkãn]
* Audio (Spain):(file)
* Rhymes: -an
* Syllabification: can

### Noun

can m (plural canes)
* (formal) dog, hound
    Synonyms: perro, (colloquial) chucho

#### Hypernyms

* cánido

#### Hyponyms

* cachorro

#### Related terms

* canijo
* canino

### Further reading

* “can”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

## Tày
### Pronunciation

* (Thạch An – Tràng Định) IPA: [kaːn˧˥]
* (Trùng Khánh) IPA: [kaːn˦]

### Etymology 1

From Chinese 乾 / 干.

#### Adjective

can
* dried up
    nà can ― dried up field

##### Derived terms

* la̱o can
* tông can

### Etymology 2

From Chinese 干.

#### Noun

can (干)
* heavenly stem

#### Verb

can
* to concern; to involve
    nắm can lăng thâng te ― to not have any relations to them

### Etymology 3

Borrowed from Vietnamese can.

#### Verb

can (干)
* to dissuade
    can nắm hẩư tò đá ― to dissuade from insults
* to warn and advise someone against
    Me̱ can lục bấu pây liê̱u.I advise you not to go out.

### References

* Lương Bèn (2011) Từ điển Tày-Việt [Tay-Vietnamese dictionary]‎ (in Vietnamese), Thái Nguyên: Nhà Xuất bản Đại học Thái Nguyên
* Lục Văn Pảo, Hoàng Tuấn Nam (2003) Hoàng Triều Ân, editor, Từ điển chữ Nôm Tày [A Dictionary of (chữ) Nôm Tày]‎ (in Vietnamese), Hanoi: Nhà xuất bản Khoa học Xã hội

## Turkish
### Etymology

From Ottoman Turkish جان, from Persian جان (jân, “soul, vital spirit, life”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /dʒan/
* Audio:(file)
* Hyphenation: can

### Noun

can (definite accusative canı, plural canlar)
* soul, life, being
* sweetheart

#### Declension

singular
plural
nominative
can
canlar
definite accusative
canı
canları
dative
cana
canlara
locative
canda
canlarda
ablative
candan
canlardan
genitive
canın
canların
Possessive forms
nominative
singular
plural
1st singular
canım
canlarım
2nd singular
canın
canların
3rd singular
canı
canları
1st plural
canımız
canlarımız
2nd plural
canınız
canlarınız
3rd plural
canları
canları
definite accusative
singular
plural
1st singular
canımı
canlarımı
2nd singular
canını
canlarını
3rd singular
canını
canlarını
1st plural
canımızı
canlarımızı
2nd plural
canınızı
canlarınızı
3rd plural
canlarını
canlarını
dative
singular
plural
1st singular
canıma
canlarıma
2nd singular
canına
canlarına
3rd singular
canına
canlarına
1st plural
canımıza
canlarımıza
2nd plural
canınıza
canlarınıza
3rd plural
canlarına
canlarına
locative
singular
plural
1st singular
canımda
canlarımda
2nd singular
canında
canlarında
3rd singular
canında
canlarında
1st plural
canımızda
canlarımızda
2nd plural
canınızda
canlarınızda
3rd plural
canlarında
canlarında
ablative
singular
plural
1st singular
canımdan
canlarımdan
2nd singular
canından
canlarından
3rd singular
canından
canlarından
1st plural
canımızdan
canlarımızdan
2nd plural
canınızdan
canlarınızdan
3rd plural
canlarından
canlarından
genitive
singular
plural
1st singular
canımın
canlarımın
2nd singular
canının
canlarının
3rd singular
canının
canlarının
1st plural
canımızın
canlarımızın
2nd plural
canınızın
canlarınızın
3rd plural
canlarının
canlarının :

#### See also

* Can

## Venetan
### Etymology

From Latin canis, canem.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /kaŋ/

### Noun

can m (plural cani)
* (Belluno, Chipilo) dog

## Vietnamese
### Pronunciation

* (Hà Nội) IPA: [kaːn˧˧]
* (Huế) IPA: [kaːŋ˧˧]
* (Saigon) IPA: [kaːŋ˧˧]
* Audio (Hà Nội):(file)

### Etymology 1

Sino-Vietnamese word from 肝.

#### Noun

can
* (alternative medicine) liver

##### Derived terms

* can đảm
* can trường
* tâm can

### Etymology 2

Sino-Vietnamese word from 干.

#### Noun

can
* Short for Thiên Can (“celestial stem”).

##### Derived terms

* can chi
* Thiên Can

#### Verb

can
* to concern; to apply to
* to be involved (in); to be implicated (in)

##### Derived terms

* bị can
* can dự
* can gián
* can hệ
* can ngăn
* can phạm
* can thiệp
* can tội
* khuyên can
* liên can
* vô can

### Etymology 3

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 諫 (SV: gián).

#### Verb

can
* to dissuade (someone from doing something); to intervene

### Etymology 4

From English canne.

#### Noun

(classifier cây, cái) can
* walking stick

### Etymology 5
#### Verb

can
* to join; to unite; to sew together

### Etymology 6

From French calque.

#### Verb

can
* to trace (through translucent paper), to do tracing

##### Derived terms

* giấy can

## Volapük
### Noun

can (nominative plural cans)
* sales commodity, merchandise, wares

#### Declension

$^1$ status as a case is disputed $^2$ in later, non-classical Volapük only

## Welsh
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /kan/
* Rhymes: -an

### Etymology 1

Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kand- (“to shine, glow”).
See also Ancient Greek κάνδαρος (kándaros, “charcoal”), Albanian hënë (“moon”), Sanskrit चन्द्र (candrá, “shining”) and Old Armenian խանդ (xand).

#### Adjective

can (feminine singular can, plural can, equative canned, comparative cannach, superlative cannaf)
* bleached, white

#### Noun

can m (plural caniau)
* flour
    Synonyms: blawd, fflŵr, paill, peilliaid

#### Derived terms

* cannaid (“bright, refulgent”)
* cannu (“to bleach, to whiten”)

### Etymology 2

From Middle Welsh and Old Welsh cant, from Proto-Brythonic *kant, from Proto-Celtic *kantom (“hundred”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱm̥tóm.

#### Numeral

can
* (cardinal number) Apocopic form of cant (“one hundred”)

##### Usage notes

* This is the form the number cant (“one hundred”) takes when it precedes a noun.

### Etymology 3

From English can.

#### Noun

can m (plural caniau)
* a can

### Mutation

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh. All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

### See also

* cân

### Further reading

* R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “can”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies
* Definition from the BBC.

## Yucatec Maya
### Etymology 1
#### Numeral

can
* Obsolete spelling of kan.

### Etymology 2
#### Noun

can
* Obsolete spelling of kaan.