What does canakin mean?
Canakin is a rare noun for a small cup, especially the kind used to hold or administer medicine. In older English, a physician's canakin could contain a measured dose, and the expression “taste the canakin” reflected the familiar practice of taking medicine from one. Although the word once had a broader household use for a small drinking vessel, its medical association is its most recognizable. Today it is mainly literary, historical, or nostalgic, and “medicine cup” is the usual modern description of the object. Canakin nevertheless illustrates how vocabulary preserves the social history of healthcare: a term that once described an everyday tool now survives chiefly in books, antiquarian writing, and accounts of older medical practice. It entered English in the early seventeenth century through Spanish canaquín, a diminutive meaning a little cup, and ultimately reflects Latin vocabulary associated with drinking vessels.
nounA small cup, especially one used for holding or administering medicine. The word is now chiefly historical or literary.
- A small cup used especially for holding or administering medicine.
- A small drinking cup or vessel.
"The nurse brought a small canakin and carefully measured the medicine into it."
"The doctor asked the nurse to bring him a canakin of medicine."
"In the physician's diary, the servant was ordered to prepare a fresh canakin each morning."
The plural is used when referring to multiple small medicine cups or vessels.
"The nurse placed two clean canakins on the table."
Canakin was once the household word for the little cup in which medicine was measured and taken.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does canakin come from?
Canakin entered English in the early seventeenth century from Spanish canaquín, a diminutive of caneca meaning a small cup. The Spanish word derives from Latin caneca, a term for a drinking vessel. Canakin therefore preserves both the original sense of a little cup and the familiar association between the word and medicine.
How canakin is actually used
Rare in contemporary English and chiefly encountered in older, literary, or historical writing. Although it can refer generally to a small cup, its association with medicine is especially strong.
Easily confused with canakin
Both words can denote a small cup, but canakin is the traditional spelling strongly associated with medicine cups, while cannikin is an established variant often used for a small drinking vessel.