Ma'anar ƙamus na kalmar "mai cin nama" shine mutumin da yake cin naman sauran mutane, ko kuma ɗan wata kabila ko ƙungiyar da ke yin wannan al'ada. Kalmar "cannibal" ta samo asali ne daga kalmar Mutanen Espanya "cannibal" ko "caribal," wanda asalinsa yana nufin ƴan asalin yankin Caribbean waɗanda aka ruwaito suna yin cin nama. A yau, ana amfani da kalmar sosai don nufin kowane mutum ko ƙungiyar da ke cin naman wani ɗan adam. Duk da haka, yana da mahimmanci a lura cewa yawancin al'ummomi a duniya ana ɗaukar cin naman mutane haram kuma ba bisa doka ba.