Cana
/ˈkeɪ.nə/noun
A place-name, especially the biblical settlement where the Gospel of John says Jesus turned water into wine.
Did you know?The biblical Cana has never been identified with complete certainty; several sites in modern Israel and Lebanon have been proposed, including Kafr Kanna and Khirbet Qana.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Semitic period
Semitic
qanā
“A proposed ancestral place-name connected with qaneh, meaning “reed”; this interpretation is plausible but not certain.”
1st Century
Greek
Κανά (Kana)
“The form used in the Greek Gospel of John for Cana, the setting of the wedding miracle.”
4th Century
Latin
Cana
“The Latin biblical place-name preserved in Christian writings and pilgrimage traditions.”
Middle English period
English
Cana
“The inherited English form used for the biblical location.”
Modern English
English
Cana
“A biblical place-name, commonly associated with the Wedding at Cana and the transformation of water into wine.”