Meaning and Origin
What does the name Canon mean? Keep reading to find the user submitted meanings, dictionary definitions, and more.
User Submitted Origins
- A law or rule."Or that the Everlasting had not fixed His canon 'gainst self-slaughter." [Shak.]
- [Eccl] A law, or rule of doctrine or discipline, enacted by a council and confirmed by the pope or the sovereign; a decision, regulation, code, or constitution made by ecclesiastical authority."Various canons which were made in councils held in the second centry." [Hook.]
- The collection of books received as genuine Holy Scriptures, called the sacred canon, or general rule of moral and religious duty, given by inspiration; the Bible; also, any one of the canonical Scriptures. See Canonical books, under Canonical (a.)
- In monasteries, a book containing the rules of a religious order.
- A catalogue of saints acknowledged and canonized in the Roman Catholic Church.
- A member of a cathedral chapter; a person who possesses a prebend in a cathedral or collegiate church.
- [Mus] A musical composition in which the voices begin one after another, at regular intervals, successively taking up the same subject. It either winds up with a codatailpiece), or, as each voice finishes, commences anew, thus forming a perpetual fugue or round. It is the strictest form of imitation. See Imitation.
- [Print] The largest size of type having a specific name; -- so called from having been used for printing the canons of the church.
- The part of a bell by which it is suspended; -- called also ear and shank.
- [Billiards] See Carom.
Note: See Illust. of Bell
Etymology: OE. canon canoun, AS. canon rule (cf. F. canon, LL. canon, and, for sense 7, F. chanoine, LL. canonicus), fr. L. canon a measuring line, rule, model, fr. Gr. kanw`n rule, rod, fr. ka`nh ka`nnh, reed. See Cane, and cf. Canonical
Etymology: Sp., a tube or hollow, fr. caña reed, fr. L. canna. See Cane
- A collection of books accepted as holy scripture especially the books of the Bible recognized by any Christian church as genuine and inspired
- A complete list of saints that have been recognized by the Roman Catholic Church
- A rule or especially body of rules or principles generally established as valid and fundamental in a field of art or philosophy ("the neoclassical canon" and "canons of polite society")
- A contrapuntal piece of music in which a melody in one part is imitated exactly in other parts
- A ravine formed by a river in an area with little rainfall
- A priest who is a member of a cathedral chapter
Borrowed from Old French canon, 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”)). See also cane.
- A generally accepted principle; a rule.
- The trial must proceed according to the of law.
- A group of literary works that are generally accepted as representing a field.
- The works of a writer that have been accepted as authentic.
- the entire Shakespeare
- A eucharistic prayer, particularly the Roman Canon.
- A religious law or body of law decreed by the church.
- We must proceed according to 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 member of a cathedral chapter; one who possesses a prebend in a cathedral or collegiate church.
- A piece of music in which the same melody is played by different voices, but beginning at different times; a round.
- Pachelbel’s has become very popular.
- (Roman law) A rent or stipend payable at some regular time, generally annual, e.g., canon frumentarius
- (fandom) Those sources, especially including literary works, which are considered part of the main continuity regarding a given fictional universe.
- A spin-off book series revealed the aliens to be originally from Earth, but it's not .
- (cooking) A rolled and filleted loin of meat; also called cannon.
- a of beef or lamb
- (printing, dated) A large size of type formerly used for printing the church canons, standardized as 48-point.
- The part of a bell by which it is suspended; the ear or shank of a bell.
- (billiards) A carom.
From Middle English canoun, ultimately from Latin canonicus (either by shortening or back-formation from Old English canonic, or via Anglo-Norman chanoine).
- A clergy member serving a cathedral or collegiate church.
- A canon regular, a member of any of several Roman Catholic religious orders.
canon was also found in the following language(s): Dutch, French, Latin, Norman, Old French, Romanian, Spanish, and Welsh