canon

¹

[ kan-uhn ]

noun

1. an ecclesiastical rule or law enacted by a council or other competent authority and, in the Roman Catholic Church, approved by the pope.
2. the body of ecclesiastical law.
3. the body of rules, principles, or standards accepted as axiomatic and universally binding in a field of study or art:

   the neoclassical canon.

4. a fundamental principle or general rule:

   the canons of good behavior.

5. a standard; criterion:

   the canons of taste.

6. the books of the Bible recognized by any Christian church as genuine and inspired.
7. any officially recognized set of sacred books.
8. any comprehensive list of books within a field.
9. the works of an author that have been accepted as authentic: Compare apocrypha ( def 3 ).

   There are 37 plays in the Shakespeare canon.

10. established or agreed-upon constraints governing the background narrative, setting, storyline, characters, etc., in a particular fictional world:

    It’s accepted as canon that vampires are harmed by sunlight.

11. a catalog or list, as of the saints acknowledged by the Church.
12. Liturgy. the part of the Mass between the Sanctus and the Communion.
13. Eastern Church. a liturgical sequence sung at matins, usually consisting of nine odes arranged in a fixed pattern.
14. Music. consistent, note-for-note imitation of one melodic line by another, in which the second line starts after the first.
15. Printing. a 48-point type.

canon

²

[ kan-uhn ]

noun

1. one of a body of dignitaries or prebendaries attached to a cathedral or a collegiate church; a member of the chapter of a cathedral or a collegiate church.
2. Roman Catholic Church. one of the members canons regular of certain religious orders.

cañon

¹

/ ˈkænjən /

noun

1. See canyon
   a variant spelling of canyon

canon

²

/ ˈkænən /

noun

1. Christianity a Church decree enacted to regulate morals or religious practices
2. often plural a general rule or standard, as of judgment, morals, etc
3. often plural a principle or accepted criterion applied in a branch of learning or art
4. RC Church the complete list of the canonized saints
5. RC Church the prayer in the Mass in which the Host is consecrated
6. a list of writings, esp sacred writings, officially recognized as genuine
7. See catch, round
   a piece of music in which an extended melody in one part is imitated successively in one or more other parts See also round catch
8. a list of the works of an author that are accepted as authentic
9. (formerly) a size of printer's type equal to 48 point

canon

³

/ ˈkænən /

noun

1. one of several priests on the permanent staff of a cathedral, who are responsible for organizing services, maintaining the fabric, etc
2. Also calledcanon regular RC Church a member of either of two religious orders, the Augustinian or Premonstratensian Canons, living communally as monks but performing clerical duties

Other Words From

• canon·like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of canon¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English, from Latin, from Greek kanṓn “measuring rod, rule,” akin to kánna “cane”; cane

Origin of canon²

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English canoun, chano(u)n, chanoine, from Anglo-French canun, Old French chanoine, from Late Latin canōnicus “(one) under the rule” (i.e., a priest as opposed to a lay person), from Latin “according to or under the rule,” from Greek kanōnikós; canon ¹, -ic

Word History and Origins

Origin of canon¹

Old English, from Latin, from Greek kanōn rule, rod for measuring, standard; related to kanna reed, cane ¹

Origin of canon²

C13: from Anglo-French canunie, from Late Latin canonicus one living under a rule, from canon ¹

Synonym Study

See principle.

Example Sentences

An examination of some of the rumors surrounding the newest entry in the Star Wars canon.

From The Daily Beast

His Canon camera dangled by his side and the feeling of uncertainty over what he could now report punctuated everything he said.

From The Daily Beast

The rule is that every time a new writer enters the canon an old one has to get the boot.

From The Daily Beast

When he gets his hands on a Canon copier, the reader gets a glimpse into the unique fashion in which his mind works.

From The Daily Beast

If you look at said canon, you will notice that most of them are terribly written.

From The Daily Beast

Dr. Adam Weishaupt, professor of canon law at Ingolstadt, founded the secret society of the illuminati.

From Project Gutenberg

But Canon Drivel's daughter did not deign to answer, she merely rang for prayers.

From Project Gutenberg

Mrs. Dodd opened the book—her father, the Canon's, well-known book of Family Prayers.

From Project Gutenberg

Brooding over such thoughts as these, Alessandro went up into the canon one morning.

From Project Gutenberg

The celebrated Kepler discovered his canon for the periodical motion of the planets.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• precept
• tenet