hemp

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. Cannabis.
2. n. The tough, coarse fiber of the cannabis plant, used to make cordage.
3. n. Any of various plants similar to cannabis, especially one yielding a similar fiber.
4. n. The fiber of such a plant.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A plant of the genus Cannabis, natural order Urticaceæ, of which C. sativa is the only known species, C. Indica being only a variety. It is an annual herbaceous plant, the fiber of which constitutes the hemp of commerce. It is a native of western and central Asia, but has been long naturalized in Brazil and tropical Africa, and is extensively cultivated in many countries. The Indian variety, often called Cannabis Indica, is the source of the narcotic drug bhang or hashish. (See bhang.) A valuable oil is expressed from the seeds.
2. n. The fiber of this plant, obtained from the skin or rind by rotting the stalks under moisture, and prepared by various processes for manufacturing uses. It is tough and strong, and peculiarly adapted for weaving into coarse fabrics such as sailcloth, and twisting into ropes and cables. As the ordinary material of ropes used for hanging, it is the subject of humorous allusion.
3. n. One of various plants of other genera yielding similar fibers, distinguished by specific epithets
4. n. Calotropis gigantea (Asclepiadaceæ): same as madar.
5. n. Apocynum cannabinum. See Apocynum.
6. n. The Indian hemp, Apocynum, chiefly A. cannabinum.
7. n. Same as American jute (which see, under jute).
8. n. The black Indian hemp, Apocynum cannabinum. See Apocynum.
9. n. The white Indian hemp, either of two American species of Asclepias, A. incarnata, the swamp-milkweed, and A. pulchra, the hairy milkweed, which yield a white or light-gray fiber of some commercial value.
10. n. the fiber of Maoutia Puya. See pooa.

Wiktionary

1. n. A tall annual herb, Cannabis sativa, native to Asia.
2. n. Various products of this plant, including fibres and the drug cannabis.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. (Bot.) A plant of the genus Cannabis (Cannabis sativa), the fibrous skin or bark of which is used for making cloth and cordage. The name is also applied to various other plants yielding fiber.
2. n. The fiber of the skin or rind of the plant, prepared for spinning. The name has also been extended to various fibers resembling the true hemp.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. a rope that is used by a hangman to execute persons who have been condemned to death by hanging
2. n. any plant of the genus Cannabis; a coarse bushy annual with palmate leaves and clusters of small green flowers; yields tough fibers and narcotic drugs
3. n. a plant fiber