cain

/kayn/, n.

Scot. and Irish Eng. rent paid in kind, esp. a percentage of a farm crop.

[ME (Scots) cane < ScotGael; cf. OIr cáin statute, law, rent]

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▪ biblical figure

 in the Old Testament, first-born son of Adam and Eve, who murdered his brother Abel (Genesis 4:1–16). Cain, a farmer, became enraged when the Lord accepted the offering of his brother Abel, a shepherd, in preference to his own. He murdered Abel and was banished by the Lord from the settled country. Cain feared that in his exile he could be killed by anyone, so the Lord gave him a sign for his protection and a promise that if he was killed, he would be avenged sevenfold.

      The biblical story may have intended to explain why a certain tribe, called Cain, had a special tattoo mark and why this tribe always severely avenged any murdered member. The story also may explain why that tribe lived the nomadic rather than the settled life. Some biblical critics believe the tribe of Cain was the Kenites (q.v.).

      According to Irenaeus and other early Christian writers, a Gnostic sect called Cainites (q.v.) existed in the 2nd century AD.

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