Etymology of cannabis

The plant name cannabis is a Scythian word, which loaned into Persian as kanab, then into Greek as κάνναβις (kánnabis) and subsequently into Latin as cannabis. The ancient Greeks learned of the use of cannabis by observing Scythian funerals, during which cannabis was consumed. In Neo-Assyrian Akkadian, cannabis was known as qunnabu (𒋆𒄣𒌦𒈾𒁍). The word was adopted in to the Hebrew language as qaneh bosem (קָנֶה בֹּשׂם). The Germanic word that gives rise to English hemp (Old English hænep, Common Germanic *hanapi-z) may be an early Germanic loan (predating Grimm's law) from the same source.

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