What does hashish mean?
Hashish is a traditional name for an intoxicating preparation made from cannabis, especially the plant’s resinous flowering material or concentrated resin. It is smoked, eaten, or vaporized for the psychoactive effects associated with THC, and its appearance ranges from loose plant matter to dark, sticky or solid resin. In contemporary English, hashish is less common than cannabis or marijuana and can sound somewhat traditional, literary, or associated with particular regions and markets. Nevertheless, it remains useful as a more specific word when a resin-rich or resin-concentrated form of cannabis is meant rather than cannabis generally. Historically, the name also referred broadly to the cannabis plant and its preparations. Dictionaries therefore treat hashish chiefly as a noun, normally as a mass noun, while recognizing a plural for distinct portions. The word derives from Arabic terminology for cannabis or hemp and entered English in the early modern period.
nounAn intoxicating preparation made from cannabis, especially its resinous flowering material or concentrated resin. It is traditionally smoked, eaten, or vaporized for its psychoactive effects.
- An intoxicating, resinous preparation of cannabis, particularly concentrated resin or resin-rich flowering material.
- In older or broadly historical usage, cannabis or hemp itself.
"Prosecutors said the shipment was intended to distribute hashish across the region."
"In the story, the smuggler conceals hashish inside a hollowed-out book."
"The museum catalogue includes an engraving depicting the smoking of hashish in Cairo."
Rare; hashish is normally used as an uncountable mass noun.
"Collectors paid high prices for several small blocks or hashishes recovered from the archaeological site."
Hashish preserves an older name for cannabis: the Arabic word referred to grass or hemp before the plant and its resinous products became its best-known meanings.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hashish come from?
The English word comes from Arabic hashīsh, a term associated with grass or hemp that came to denote cannabis and its products. It entered English in the early 17th century through European accounts of cannabis and the drug made from it. Over time, its dominant English sense became the psychoactive resinous preparation rather than the plant as a whole.
How hashish is actually used
Hashish is usually treated as a mass noun, though the rare plural “hashishes” is used for distinct portions. It is familiar but somewhat traditional or literary compared with “cannabis” or “marijuana,” and it may refer more specifically to resin-rich material than those broader terms do.
Easily confused with hashish
Hashish specifically denotes a resinous cannabis preparation, whereas hash is a broader informal term that can also refer to cannabis material more generally.