Canossa

American

[kuh-nos-uh, kah-naws-sah] / kəˈnɒs ə, kɑˈnɔs sɑ /

noun

a ruined castle in N Italy: scene of the penance of Emperor Henry IV of the Holy Roman Empire before Pope Gregory VII in 1077.

idioms

go to Canossa, to humble oneself.

Canossa British

/ kaˈnossa, kəˈnɒsə /

noun

a ruined castle in N Italy, in Emilia near Reggio nell'Emilia: scene of the penance done by the Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV before Pope Gregory VII

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

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Canossa

Hence the pilgrimage to the diner in Iowa is a form of penance, like the road to Canossa in medieval times.

From Salon ● May 20, 2023

Drawing from endless documents about King Henry’s visit to Canossa, ChatGPT might well make the same mistake.

From New York Times ● Jan. 20, 2023

For Arafat, such a trip will be not quite a journey to Canossa, but very close to it.

From Time Magazine Archive

His march was halted only when the humbled King knelt for three days in the snow at Canossa to plead for the Pope's forgiveness.

From Time Magazine Archive

His giant intellect and tremendous personality had overawed Henry IV into ignominious capitulation at Canossa.

From War Letters of a Public-School Boy by Henry Paul Mainwaring Jones

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023