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Added 4 October 2026

can

/kæn/ symbol

In Latin: possum Wiktionary

symbol Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about can at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

ISO 639-3 language code for Chambri.

verb

To know how to.
She can speak English, French, and German.
To be able to.
Can you remember your fifth birthday?
May; to be permitted or enabled to.
You can go outside and play when you're finished with your homework.

interjection

OK, sure; indicates approval or acknowledgment.
Used to convey reassurance.

particle

OK(?); used at the end of a question when seeking approval or acknowledgment.
I cut this wire, can?

Origin

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.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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