What does hemp mean?
Hemp is a tall annual plant related to cannabis and valued for its strong fibres, edible seeds, seed oil, and numerous industrial uses. The fibres extracted from its stalk have been used for thousands of years in rope, textiles, paper, and other products, while the seeds provide food for people and animals as well as oil for cooking, cosmetics, and industrial purposes. In contemporary English, the word most often appears in agricultural, manufacturing, and commercial contexts, especially in combinations such as hemp fibre, hemp seed, hemp field, and industrial hemp. Although hemp and cannabis are closely related and sometimes used loosely as equivalents, hemp traditionally emphasizes the plant’s non-intoxicating fibres, seeds, and products. Historically, hemp was one of the world’s most important fibre crops, valued for its combination of strength, durability, and rapid growth.
nounA tall annual plant of the cannabis family, cultivated for its fibrous stalk, seeds, oil, and other commercial products. The name also refers to the tough fibers obtained from the plant, especially those used in making rope and textiles.
- The tall annual plant Cannabis sativa, cultivated for fiber, seeds, oil, and other products.
- The tough, fibrous material obtained from the stalk of the hemp plant and used in products such as rope, fabric, and paper.
- The seeds of the hemp plant or the oil and other materials derived from them.
"Farmers have grown hemp for centuries to produce fiber for rope and cloth."
"The cooperative separates hemp fibres and turns them into durable ropes."
"Hemp seeds are used in foods, animal feed, and the production of vegetable oil."
Rare; modern usage almost always treats hemp as an uncountable mass noun.
"These hems came from separate harvests."
Long before synthetic fibres, hemp was the workhorse of rope-making and one of civilization’s most versatile cultivated plants.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hemp come from?
The English word comes through Old English hǣmpe from Proto-Germanic *hampijan, a term recorded in cognate forms in several Germanic languages. It is generally connected with an Indo-European root also reflected in Greek kannabis and Latin cannabis, words that developed into the modern name cannabis. Over time, hemp became associated particularly with the plant’s fibre and with the rope and textile industries built upon it.
Related word forms
How hemp is actually used
Hemp is normally an uncountable mass noun. It is common in agricultural, textile, food, and industrial contexts, while its relationship to psychoactive cannabis may make the term sensitive in discussions of law and public policy. British English usually spells the material “fibre,” whereas American English commonly uses “fiber.”
Easily confused with hemp
Hemp specifically names Cannabis sativa and, by extension, its fiber and other products, whereas cannabis names the plant genus and may refer more broadly to its psychoactive preparations.