Bane (bān), n. Fatal injury or ruin: “Hath some fond lover tic’d thee to thy bane?” (George Herbert). A cause of harm, ruin, or death: “Obedience,/Bane of all genius, virtue, freedom, truth,/Makes slaves of men” (Percy Bysshe Shelley). A source of persistent annoyance or exasperation: “The spellings of foreign names are often the bane of … More Three Banes