1. Followers of Cain in Gnostic and early Christian heretical traditions; members of a sect that revered Cain as a spiritual figure.
Usage: religious/historical; archaic; primarily used in academic or theological contexts
2. A potassium chloride mineral (KCl) used as a source of potassium in fertilizers and chemical production.
Usage: mineralogy; chemistry

Examples

• Early Church fathers condemned the kainites as heretics for their unorthodox beliefs.
• The kainites represented a minor but notable Gnostic sect in the second century.
• Kainites deposits are mined in several regions for agricultural and industrial use.
• The mineral kainites is an important source of potassium for fertilizer production.
• Theologians studied the kainites to understand the diversity of early Christian heresies.