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.

   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.

canon

¹

/ 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. 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

²

/ 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 called: canon regular. RC Church a member of either of two religious orders, the Augustinian or Premonstratensian Canons, living communally as monks but performing clerical duties

cañon

³

/ ˈkænjən /

noun

1. a variant spelling of canyon

Other Word Forms

• canonlike 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

It’s an intriguing addition to the canon, but for mere mortals who haven’t survived abusive, plagiaristic and mystifying advisors to earn Oxbridge degrees — or even just bad bosses — it might be unrelatable.

From Los Angeles Times

In 1999, he entered the Star Wars canon: playing a politician battling corruption in Episode I: the Phantom Menace - an experience he later described as "dull".

From BBC

In a recent interview with Salon, democracy expert Katherine Stewart dubbed the tactic “one of the most frequently telegraphed stunts in the authoritarian canon.”

From Salon

The show adds other extraterrestrial creatures, just as eerie and lethal, to the “Alien” canon too.

From Los Angeles Times

Fr McGee described Fr Murray as "very well known" and "very well respected priest" of the diocese who had been appointed a canon by the bishop in recognition for his work as a senior adviser.

From BBC

Related Words

• precept 
• tenet 

When To Use

What does canon mean?

A canon is a group of works that contributes to the advancement of a field of study or to an artistic period. Shakespeare’s plays and poetry are considered a part of the canon of English literature, for example.Related to that, canon is also agreed-upon or established constraints within a fictional world, such as vampires being harmed by sunlight.A canon is also a religious rule put in place by someone of authority. In the Roman Catholic Church, for example, rules approved by the pope are considered canon.The body of all the religious laws is also called a canon.Example: The official canon of this writer has 30 works, but some people believe that she wrote over 100 in her lifetime.