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• canterbury
  canterbury

  noun

  a stand having sections for holding magazines, sheet music, or loose papers.
• Canterbury
  Canterbury

  noun

  a city in E Kent, in SE England: cathedral; early ecclesiastical center of England.

canterbury

¹ American  

[kan-ter-ber-ee, -buh-ree] / ˈkæn tərˌbɛr i, -bə ri /

noun

• canterburies
  plural

1. a stand having sections for holding magazines, sheet music, or loose papers.

2. a supper tray with partitions for cutlery and plates.

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Canterbury ² American  

[kan-ter-ber-ee, -buh-ree, -bree] / ˈkæn tərˌbɛr i, -bə ri, -bri /

noun

1. a city in E Kent, in SE England: cathedral; early ecclesiastical center of England.

2. a municipality in E New South Wales, in SE Australia: a part of Sydney.

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Canterbury ¹ British  

/ ˈkæntəbərɪ, -brɪ /

noun

1. 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)

2. 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)

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canterbury ² British  

/ ˈkæntəbərɪ, -brɪ /

noun

1. a late 18th-century low wooden stand with partitions for holding cutlery and plates: often mounted on casters

2. a similar 19th-century stand used for holding sheet music, music books, or magazines

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Canterburian
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• canterburies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of canterbury

1840–50; after Canterbury, England

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

canterbury Canterbury

“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

Mr. Hand paused between the beds of sweet williams and canterbury bells.

From The Raid from Beausejour; and How the Carter Boys Lifted the Mortgage by Sir Charles George Douglas Roberts

Pink and white pinks, field and Shasta daisies, canterbury bells and hollyhocks.

From Trees, Fruits and Flowers of Minnesota, 1916 Embracing the Transactions of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society,Volume 44, from December 1, 1915, to December 1, 1916, Including the Twelve Numbers of "The Minnesota Horticulturist" for 1916 by A. W. Latham

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 Arnold Bennett

In Canterbury, Kent Police have set up a dedicated retail crime team.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

However, his signing for Canterbury and the Crusaders, along with an injury to Billy Proctor, has paved the way for his comeback.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

In July, the leader of the Church, the Archbishop of Canterbury Dame Sarah Mullally, visited Ghana in one of her first international visits in the role.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

Prof. Mike Steel, from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, and Prof. Daniel Huson from the University of Tübingen brought expertise in analyzing complex networks to the project.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026

Five words he uttered and no more—five words, the same as those he had said to Bernard about the Arch-Community- Songster of Canterbury.

From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley