a stand having sections for holding magazines, sheet music, or loose papers.
a supper tray with partitions for cutlery and plates.
a city in E Kent, in SE England: cathedral; early ecclesiastical center of England.
a municipality in E New South Wales, in SE Australia: a part of Sydney.
Latin name: Durovernum. a city in SE England, in E Kent: starting point for St Augustine's mission to England (597 ad ); cathedral where St Thomas à Becket was martyred (1170); seat of the archbishop and primate of England; seat of the University of Kent (1965). Pop: 43 552 (2001)
a regional council area of New Zealand, on E central South Island on Canterbury Bight : mountainous with coastal lowlands; agricultural. Chief town: Christchurch. Pop: 520 500 (2004 est). Area: 43 371 sq km (16 742 sq miles)
a late 18th-century low wooden stand with partitions for holding cutlery and plates: often mounted on casters
a similar 19th-century stand used for holding sheet music, music books, or magazines
1840–50; after Canterbury, England
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“This year, the flowers that are blooming include canterbury and school bells, arroyo lupine, and California poppy,” the parks department said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 7, 2023
Yet his finest work was full of ironical laughter; a "canterbury tale," in medieval slang, was a lie.
From Time Magazine Archive
"That is a great clue, considering there are about a score covers here of rival dinginess," said Stephen, drawing out the canterbury.
From The Mill on the Floss by Eliot, George
Wax-lights shine in tall, old-fashioned silver candlesticks on the mantelpiece, and on the centre table, and on a pianoforte, beside which stands a canterbury full of music-books.
From A Charming Fellow, Volume I (of 3) by Trollope, Frances Eleanor
This majestic piece, which had been reserved by Sophia in the sale of the pension, stood alone on a canterbury in the drawingroom.
From The Old Wives' Tale by Bennett, Arnold
Many scholars believe it was made by artisans in or around Canterbury in southern England.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
The origins of the tapestry remain shrouded in mystery, with many scholars believing it was made by artisans in or around Canterbury in southern England.
From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026
"These extinctions were driven by relatively rapid climate shifts and cataclysmic volcanic eruptions," says co-author Dr. Paul Scofield, Senior Curator of Natural History at Canterbury Museum.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 23, 2026
The disclosure prompted an apology from the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who said he was "deeply sorry for the links" and promised to make amends through a £100m "social impact" fund.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
“But the Arch-Community-Songster of Canterbury is there to-night.”
From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
