Canossa

[ kuh-nos-uh; Italian kah-naws-sah ]

/ kəˈnɒs ə; Italian kɑˈnɔs sɑ /

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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.

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Idioms about Canossa

go to Canossa, to humble oneself.

Words nearby Canossa

Canopic, canopic jar, Canopus, canopy, canorous, Canossa, canotier, Canova, Canrobert, cans, Canso

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Canossa in a sentence

Near Parma is Canossa, the site of an old fortified town, one day of considerable importance, but now decayed beyond hope.
Italian Highways and Byways from a Motor Car|Francis Miltoun
It was in the year 1080, three years after the events of Canossa, that the next step was taken by Gregory.
The Makers of Modern Rome|Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant
At this period Bismarck made his famous declaration, "To Canossa we do not go!"
A History of Germany|Bayard Taylor
I had spent more than a month with her in the castle at Canossa, and there I learned to know her well and to love her.
The Vizier of the Two-Horned Alexander|Frank R. Stockton

Canossa lies almost due south of Reggio d'Emilia, upon the slopes of the Apennines.
Sketches and Studies in Italy and Greece, Second Series|John Addington Symonds

British Dictionary definitions for Canossa

Canossa

/ (kəˈnɒsə, Italian kaˈnossa) /

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