dumb cane WORD ORIGIN noun a West Indian foliage plant, Dieffenbachia seguine, of the arum family, having yellow-blotched leaves that cause temporary speechlessness when chewed. Liberaldictionary.com What It Really Means to Call Someone "Crude" Can You Translate These Famous Phrases From Emoji? These Are the Longest Words in English These Are the Saddest Phrases in English Origin of dumb cane First recorded in 1690–1700 Also called dumb plant, mother-in-law plant. Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019