canister
Americannoun
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a small box or jar, often one of a kitchen set, for holding tea, coffee, flour, and sugar.
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Also called canister shot. case shot.
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the part of a gas mask containing the neutralizing substances through which poisoned air is filtered.
noun
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a container, usually made of metal, in which dry food, such as tea or coffee, is stored
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a type of shrapnel shell for firing from a cannon
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Also called: canister shot. case shot. the shot or shrapnel packed inside this
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Etymology
Origin of canister
1670–80; < Latin canistrum wicker basket < Greek kánastron, derivative of kánna reed ( see cane), with -astron, variant of -tron suffix of instrument (probably from verbal derivatives, as stégastron covering, from stegázein to cover)
Explanation
A canister is a small container with a lid, often made of metal. You might keep a canister of sugar in your kitchen next to a canister of tea. Typically, a canister is round and has a fitted lid — while kitchen canisters are usually metal, the canisters that hold a roll of camera film are made of plastic. Another type of canister is a cylinder that's packed with shot or filled with pressurized gas and shot out of a weapon. In the 15th century, the word meant "basket," from the Latin canistrum, "wicker basket," with its Greek root kanystron, "basket made of reeds." The meaning of canister probably changed to "metal container" because of the word can.
Vocabulary lists containing canister
"Modern Automotive Technology," Vocabulary from Section 4
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Chapter 4, Sections 1–4
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Phineas L. MacGuire...Erupts!
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It’s a high-tech twist on the classic mason jar, using a silicone lid with a degassing valve and an AirGone Argon Gas Canister to flush out oxygen.
From Salon • Apr. 18, 2025
The Child with Egg Canister figurine is currently listed for $30 on Funko’s online store where it’s listed as sold out.
From The Verge • Nov. 10, 2020
"The Double Canister Battery got up jest in the nick o' time," gasped Shorty, as he shoved little Pete down behind a big log.
From Si Klegg, Book 6 (of 6) Si And Shorty, With Their Boy Recruits, Enter On The Atlanta Campaign by McElroy, John
It is not too late to tell my readers that the climax of Zuleika's entertainment was only that dismal affair, the Magic Canister.
From Zuleika Dobson, or, an Oxford love story by Beerbohm, Max, Sir
"Thank you," she said, letting her fingers touch his for a moment before she dropped it into the Magic Canister.
From Zuleika Dobson, or, an Oxford love story by Beerbohm, Max, Sir
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
