canister
[ kan-uh-ster ]
/ ˈkæn ə stər /
noun
a small box or jar, often one of a kitchen set, for holding tea, coffee, flour, and sugar.
Also called canister shot. case shot.
the part of a gas mask containing the neutralizing substances through which poisoned air is filtered.
Nearby words
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)
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for canister
British Dictionary definitions for canister
canister
/ (ˈkænɪstə) /
noun
a container, usually made of metal, in which dry food, such as tea or coffee, is stored
(formerly)
- a type of shrapnel shell for firing from a cannon
- Also called: canister shot, case shot the shot or shrapnel packed inside this
Word Origin for canister
C17: from Latin canistrum basket woven from reeds, from Greek kanastron, from kanna reed, cane 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for canister
canister
late 15c., "basket," from Latin canistrum "wicker basket" for bread, fruit, flowers, etc., from Greek kanystron "basket made from reed," from kanna (see cane (n.)). It came to mean "metal receptacle" (1711) through influence of can (n.). As short for canister shot, it is attested from 1801, so called for its casing.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper