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: Compare apocrypha ( def 3 ).

   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. one of several priests on the permanent staff of a cathedral, who are responsible for organizing services, maintaining the fabric, etc
2. Also calledcanon 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

²

/ ˈkænjən /

noun

1. a variant spelling of canyon

canon

³

/ 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

Other Words From

• canon·like 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

C13: from Anglo-French canunie, from Late Latin canonicus one living under a rule, from canon ¹

Origin of canon²

Old English, from Latin, from Greek kanōn rule, rod for measuring, standard; related to kanna reed, cane ¹

Synonym Study

See principle.

Example Sentences

Gold, who has been deconstructing his way through the Shakespeare canon, has delivered a “Romeo + Juliet” in the form of rave.

From Los Angeles Times

He is author of the the Canon Clement Mysteries book crime series and was part of the pop duo The Communards in the 1980s alongside Jimmy Sommerville.

From BBC

With more than 760 million streams, the track is rightfully at the top of the Pink Floyd canon.

From Los Angeles Times

Almost a quarter of listed companies in Japan, like car makers Toyota and Suzuki and camera firm Canon, are managed by members of the family that founded them.

From BBC

That their marriage is destined not to last is “Big Bang Theory” canon; just how long it will last, or why it might end, who knows.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• precept
• tenet