canon
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canon¹
- /ˈkæn.ən/
Sounds like cannon · Rhymes with -ænən
Where it comes from
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.
noun canons
- A generally accepted principle; a rule. The trial must proceed according to the canons of law.
- A formally codified set of criteria deemed mandatory for a particular artistic style of figurative art. the Canon of Polykleitos
- A group of literary works that are generally accepted as representing a field. Russo had been working as a salesman, selling Great Books of the Western World, hawking the canon to the rubes.
- The works of a writer that have been accepted as authentic. the entire Shakespearean canon
- A eucharistic prayer, particularly the Roman Canon.
- A religious law or body of law decreed by the church. We must proceed according to canon law.
- A catalogue of saints acknowledged and canonized in the Roman Catholic Church.
- In monasteries, a book containing the rules of a religious order.
- A piece of music in which the same melody is played by different voices, but beginning at different times; a round. Pachelbel’s Canon has become very popular.
- A rent or stipend payable at some regular time, generally annual, e.g., canon frumentarius The lessees of public lands had to pay a perpetual rent or "canon" at some periodical time.
- The officially recognized continuity, events, characters, relationships, etc. of a work of fiction. A spin-off book series revealed the aliens to be originally from Earth, but it's not canon.
- Alternative form of cannon (“rolled and filleted loin of meat”). a canon of beef or lamb
-
A large size of type formerly used for printing the church canons, standardized as 48-point.
Similar: French canon
- The part of a bell by which it is suspended; the ear or shank of a bell.
canon²
Where it comes from
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 canons
- A type of clergymember serving a cathedral or collegiate church. The records show that in the early 960s the cathedral at Winchester was administered by a group of canons, every one of whom was married.
- A canon regular, a member of any of several Roman Catholic religious orders.
canon³
canon⁴
noun canons
- Alternative spelling of qanun
canon⁵
canon⁶
Where it comes from
From Spanish cañón, spelling it without the diacritics.
noun canons
- Obsolete spelling of canyon [page 247:] the most wonderful depressions, gorges, canons, or valleys ever discovered. [page 249:] Some two miles on we come to where the three canons begin. [page 329:] the Canons of the Colorado River. This gave Moran his subject for a second painting, which he called the "Grand Chasm of the Colo
Canon⁷
Where it comes from
* As an English, Scottish, and Irish surname, variant of Cannon.
* As a French topographical surname, from placenames derived from canne (“reed, cane, tube”).
* As a Chaldean/Chaldean Neo-Aramaic surname, variant of Kanon, Kanoun, from [script needed] (Kānūn), the Classical Syriac name of the ninth and tenth months of the Assyrian calendar, from ܟܢܘܢ ܒ.
proper noun Canons
- A surname.
- The Canon of the Mass.
noun Canons
- Alternative letter-case form of canon: a member of a chapter.
- Title for a canon. Canon Smith is our new parish priest.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: canyon, fit, law, classic, criterion, royalty, charge, levy, fee, fantastic, clergyman, canonical, priest, defender, great, residentiary
Translations
Every language
noun group of literary works accepted as representative
| Español | canon |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 캐논 kaenon |
| 日本語 | 正史 seishi |
| Português | cânone |
| Français | canon |
| Ελληνικά | κανόνας kanónas |
noun works of a writer that have been accepted as authentic
| 中文 | 正史 zhèng shǐ |
|---|---|
| Português | cânone |
| Ελληνικά | αυθεντικά συγγράμματα afthentiká syngrámmata, άπαντα ápanta |
noun fandom: the works considered authoritative regarding a fictional universe
| 日本語 | カノン kanon |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 正史 zhèng shǐ, 原設 /原设 yuánshè, 官設 /官设 guānshè |
| Português | cânone |
| Русский | кано́н kanón |
noun religious law
| Español | canon |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 教会法 kyōkaihō |
| 中文 | 教規 /教规 jiàoguī, 教會法 /教会法 jiàohuìfǎ |
| Português | cânone |
| Français | canon |
| Deutsch | Kanon |
| Italiano | canone |
| Ελληνικά | κανών kanón |
| Русский | кано́н kanón, пра́вило právilo |
noun catalogue of saints acknowledged and canonized in the Roman Catholic Church
| 日本語 | 聖人録 seijin-roku |
|---|
noun piece of music
| Español | canon |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 卡農 /卡农 kǎnóng |
| Português | cânone |
| Français | canon |
| Deutsch | Kanon |
| Italiano | canone |
| Русский | кано́н kanón |
noun printing: 48-point type
| Español | canon |
|---|---|
| Français | gros-canon |
| Deutsch | Missal |
| Italiano | canone |
noun part of a bell by which it is suspended
| Français | anses |
|---|
Talk about this word "canon." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/canon. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. canon. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/canon "canon." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/canon.Cite this
@misc{canon_2026,
title = {canon},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/canon},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
