Cannon

¹

[kan-uhn]

noun

1. Annie Jump 1863–1941, U.S. astronomer.

2. Joseph Gurney Uncle Joe, 1836–1926, U.S. politician and legislator.

cannon

²

[kan-uhn]

noun

plural

cannons ,

plural

cannon .

1. a mounted gun for firing heavy projectiles; a gun, howitzer, or mortar.

2. British Machinery.,  quill.

3. Armor.,  a cylindrical or semicylindrical piece of plate armor for the upper arm or forearm; a vambrace or rerebrace.

4. Also called canon bit. Also called cannon bit,. a round bit for a horse.

5. the part of a bit that is in the horse's mouth.

6. (on a bell) the metal loop by which a bell is hung.

7. Zoology.

   1. cannon bone.

   2. the part of the leg in which the cannon bone is situated.

8. British.,  a carom in billiards.

9. Underworld Slang.,  a pickpocket.

verb (used without object)

1. to discharge cannon.

2. British.,  to make a carom in billiards.

cannon

/ ˈkænən /

noun

1. an automatic aircraft gun of large calibre

2. history a heavy artillery piece consisting of a metal tube mounted on a carriage

3. a heavy tube or drum, esp one that can rotate freely on the shaft by which it is supported

4. the metal loop at the top of a bell, from which it is suspended

5. See cannon bone

6. billiards

   1. a shot in which the cue ball is caused to contact one object ball after another

   2. Usual US and Canadian word: carom. the points scored by this

7. a rebound or bouncing back, as of a ball off a wall

8. either of the two parts of a vambrace

verb

1. to collide (with)

2. short for cannonade

3. (intr) billiards to make a cannon

Cannon

1. American astronomer noted for her work on classifying stellar spectra. Cannon classified the spectra of 225,300 stars brighter than magnitude 8.5, as well as 130,000 fainter stars.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Cannon¹

First recorded in 1375–1425 (earlier in Anglo-Latin, Anglo-French ); late Middle English canon, from Middle French, from Italian cannone, equivalent to cann(a) “tube” (from Latin ) + -one augmentative suffix; cane

Word History and Origins

Origin of Cannon¹

C16: from Old French canon, from Italian cannone cannon, large tube, from canna tube, _cane ¹

Example Sentences

The Grootslang rears back, but the crew finally gets the ship’s cannons to turn on.

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His deep bass laugh boomed, three shots of a cannon.

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He shot off the couch like he was being launched from a cannon.

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It had also been rebuilt twice, first in 1527 and again in 1536, when its weight was increased to seven hundred tons and its number of cannons and other weapons was dramatically increased.

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The Spaniard brought only 11 ships, some 450 men, 16 horses and a modest collection of cannons, crossbows and arquebuses, precursors to the musket.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• howitzer 
• mortar 
• ordnance