canon

canon

synonyms, antonyms, definitions, examples & translations of canon in English

English Online Dictionary. What means canon‎? What does canon mean?

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English canoun, from Old French canon and Old English canon, both from Latin canōn, from Ancient Greek κανών (kanṓn, “measuring rod, standard”), akin to κάννα (kánna, “reed”), from Semitic (compare Hebrew קָנֶה (qane, “reed”) and Arabic قَنَاة (qanāh, “reed”)). Doublet of qanun. See also cane, cannon, canyon, canal.

Pronunciation

  • enPR: kăn'ən, IPA(key): /ˈkæn.ən/
  • Rhymes: -ænən
  • Homophone: cannon

Noun

canon (countable and uncountable, plural canons)

  1. A generally accepted principle; a rule.
    1. a formally codified set of criteria deemed mandatory for a particular artistic style of figurative art.
  2. A group of literary works that are generally accepted as representing a field.
  3. The works of a writer that have been accepted as authentic.
  4. A eucharistic prayer, particularly the Roman Canon.
  5. A religious law or body of law decreed by the church.
  6. A catalogue of saints acknowledged and canonized in the Roman Catholic Church.
  7. In monasteries, a book containing the rules of a religious order.
  8. A piece of music in which the same melody is played by different voices, but beginning at different times; a round.
  9. (Roman law) A rent or stipend payable at some regular time, generally annual, e.g., canon frumentarius
  11. (fandom slang, uncountable) Those sources, especially including literary works, which are considered part of the main continuity regarding a given fictional universe; (metonymically) these sources' content.
    Coordinate term: lore
  12. (cooking) Alternative form of cannon (“rolled and filleted loin of meat”)
  13. (printing, dated, uncountable) A large size of type formerly used for printing the church canons, standardized as 48-point.
  15. The part of a bell by which it is suspended; the ear or shank of a bell.
Synonyms
  • (48-point type): French canon
Derived terms
Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English canoun, ultimately from Latin canonicus (either by shortening or back-formation from Old English canonic, or via Old Northern French canoine).

Noun

canon (plural canons)

  2. A type of clergymember serving a cathedral or collegiate church.
    Coordinate terms: abbé, deacon; curate; priest, reverend, pastor, rector, vicar
  4. A canon regular, a member of any of several Roman Catholic religious orders.
Derived terms
Translations

Etymology 3

Adjective

canon (comparative more canon, superlative most canon)

  1. (fandom slang) Clipping of canonical.
    Antonym: non-canon

Etymology 4

Noun

canon (plural canons)

  1. Alternative spelling of qanun

Etymology 5

Noun

canon (plural canons)

  1. (obsolete, now a misspelling) Alternative spelling of cannon (“weapon”)
  2. Alternative spelling of cannon (“a carom in billiards”)

Etymology 6

From Spanish cañón, spelling it without the diacritics.

Noun

canon (plural canons)

  1. Obsolete spelling of canyon.
    • 1995, Michael A. Bogan, A Biological Survey of Fort Niobrara and Valentine National ..., page 13, quoting writings by a Bailey in 1890:
      "Clarks Canon, […] very sandy, hilly, deep canons (or ravines), river valleys, and no trees or brush […] "

References

  • James A. H. Murray et al., editors (1884–1928), “Canon”, in A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles (Oxford English Dictionary), London: Clarendon Press, →OCLC.

Further reading

  • Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “canon”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
  • “canon”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Anagrams

  • Ancon, Conan, ancon

Dutch

Etymology

From Ancient Greek κανών (kanṓn, “measuring rod, standard”), akin to κάννα (kánna, “reed”), perhaps from Semitic (compare Hebrew קנה (qaneh, “reed”)).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈkaː.nɔn/
  • Hyphenation: ca‧non

Noun

canon m (plural canons, diminutive canonnetje n)

  1. canon (set of representative or pre-eminent literary works)
    1. (chiefly Christianity) canon (set of authoritative religious books, especially those constituting the Bible)
  2. (Christianity) canon (religious law)
  3. (music) canon (round, music piece consisting of the same melody sung by different voices)
  4. (Roman Catholicism) canon (part of a mass following the Sanctus up to the end of the Pater Noster, consisting mostly of prayers)
  5. (dated) canon (principle, rule)

Derived terms

  • canoniek
  • canoniseren

French

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ka.nɔ̃/

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old French canon, from canne + -on, corresponding to Italian cannone.

Noun

canon m (plural canons)

  1. cannon, (big) gun
  2. barrel (of firearm)
  3. cannon for a horse
Derived terms
  • boulet de canon
  • canon à eau
  • chair à canon
  • fusil à canon scié
  • poudre à canon
  • tuer une mouche avec un canon

Etymology 2

Inherited from Old French canon, borrowed from Latin canōn, from Ancient Greek κανών (kanṓn, “measuring rod, standard”).

The 'attractive person' sense comes from an ellipsis of canon de beauté.

Noun

canon m (plural canons)

  1. canon
  2. (music) canon
  3. (religion) canon
  4. (slang) hottie, dish, bombshell (attractive man/woman)
    Synonyms: bombe, avion de chasse
Derived terms
  • canon à neige
  • canon de beauté
Descendants
  • → Turkish: kanon

Etymology 3

From the above noun (see sense 4) by conversion.

Adjective

canon (plural canons)

  1. (informal, of a person) hot, sexy
    Cette nouvelle coupe de cheveux te va trop bien, t’es canon! ― This new hair really suits you, you're hot!

Etymology 4

From canne +‎ -on.

Noun

canon m (plural canons)

  1. (slang) glass of wine

Further reading

  • “canon”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Galician

Alternative forms

  • cânon, cânone (reintegrationist)

Pronunciation

Noun

canon m (plural canons)

  1. canon (principle, literary works, prayer, religious law, music piece)

References

  • “canon”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2025

Latin

Pronunciation

  • (Classical Latin) IPA(key): /ˈka.noːn/, [ˈkänoːn]
  • (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈka.non/, [ˈkäːnon]

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Ancient Greek κανών (kanṓn, “measuring rod, standard”), akin to κάννα (kánna, “reed”), perhaps from Semitic (compare Hebrew קנה (qaneh, “reed”)).

Noun

canōn m (genitive canonis); third declension

  1. a measuring line
  2. (figuratively) precept, rule, canon
  3. a yearly tribute paid to the emperor; (Medieval Latin, by extension) a periodic payment
  4. (Ecclesiastical Latin) authorized catalog, especially of books of the Bible or of the saints
  5. (Ecclesiastical Latin) decree of a church synod
  6. (Ecclesiastical Latin) the Canon of the Mass
  7. (Medieval Latin) relic
Declension

Third-declension noun.

Synonyms
  • (precept, rule): nōrma, praeceptum, rēgula
Derived terms
  • canōnizō
  • canōnismata
Descendants
  • Italian: canone
  • → Catalan: cànon
  • → German: Kanon
  • → Japanese: カノン
  • → Dutch: canon
  • → Old French: canon (see there for further descendants)
  • → Portuguese: cânone
  • → Russian: канон (kanon)
  • → Spanish: canon

Etymology 2

From canna (“pipe”), compare Italian cannone and Old French canon.

Noun

canōn m (genitive canōnis); third declension

  1. (Medieval Latin) a cannon (artillery)

References

  • “canon”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • canon in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
  • canon in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
  • “canon”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • “canon”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin
  • Niermeyer, Jan Frederik (1976) “canon”, in Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden, Boston: E. J. Brill

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Middle French canon, from Italian cannone, from Latin canna, from Ancient Greek κάννα (kánna, “reed”), from Akkadian 𒄀 (qanû, “reed”), from Sumerian 𒄀𒈾 (gi.na).

Alternative forms

  • kanon

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /kaˈnoːn/

Noun

canon (plural canones)

  1. (Late Middle English) cannon
Descendants
  • English: cannon
References
  • “canọ̄n, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Etymology 2

Noun

canon

  1. Alternative form of canoun (“authoritative rules”)

Etymology 3

Noun

canon

  1. Alternative form of canoun (“clergy member”)

Norman

Etymology

From Old French canon.

Noun

canon m (plural canons)

  1. cannon

Old French

Etymology 1

cane (“reed, cane, tube”) +‎ -on, corresponding to Italian cannone.

Noun

canon oblique singular, m (oblique plural canons, nominative singular canons, nominative plural canon)

  1. tube
  2. cannon

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Latin canōn, from Ancient Greek κανών (kanṓn, “measuring rod, standard”).

  1. canon

Descendants

  • French: canon
  • Norman: canon
  • → Danish: kanon
  • → Irish: canóin
  • → Middle English: canoun, canon, canone, kanon, kanoun
    • English: canon
    • Scots: canon
  • → Norwegian: kanon
  • → Swedish: kanon
    • → Finnish: kaanon

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Old Church Slavonic канонъ (kanonŭ), from Ancient Greek κανών (kanṓn).

Noun

canon n (plural canoane)

  1. canon
  2. (usually in regards to religion) tenet, dogma, rule, norm, precept
  3. punishment or penance for breaking such a religious rule

Declension

Derived terms

  • canoni

Related terms

  • canonic

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin canōn, from Ancient Greek κανών (kanṓn, “measuring rod, standard”) (compare κάννα (kánna, “reed”)), perhaps of Semitic origin.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈkanon/ [ˈka.nõn]
  • Rhymes: -anon
  • Syllabification: ca‧non

Noun

canon m (plural cánones)

  1. canon (principle, literary works, prayer, religious law, music piece)
    Synonyms: norma, precepto, regla
  2. tax, fee

Related terms

References

Further reading

  • “canon”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

Welsh

Alternative forms

  • (verb form): canasom (literary, first-person plural)
  • (verb form): canasant (literary, third-person plural)
  • (artillery): canan

Pronunciation

  • (North Wales) IPA(key): /ˈkanɔn/
  • (South Wales) IPA(key): /ˈkaːnɔn/, /ˈkanɔn/

Etymology 1

From English canon

Noun

canon f (plural cannonau)

  1. canon (ecclesiastical degree)

Noun

canon m (plural canoniaid or canons)

  1. canon (clerical)

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English cannon

Noun

canon m (plural cannonau)

  1. cannon
Derived terms
  • pelen canon f (“cannonball”)

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

canon

  1. first/third-person plural preterite colloquial of canu

Mutation

Further reading

  • R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “canon”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies

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This article based on an article on Wiktionary. The list of authors can be seen in the page history there. The original work has been modified. This article is distributed under the terms of this license.