Canon Definition & Meaning

American

British

Usage

Related Words

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms canon 1 American [kan-uhn] / ˈkæn ən /

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.

   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 American [kan-uhn] / ˈkæn ən /

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 British / 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

"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 canon 2 British / 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 called: canon regular. RC Church a member of either of two religious orders, the Augustinian or Premonstratensian Canons, living communally as monks but performing clerical duties

"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 cañon 3 British / ˈkænjən /

noun

1. a variant spelling of canyon

"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

Usage

What does canon mean? A canon is a group of works that contributes to the advancement of a field of study or to an artistic period. Shakespeare’s plays and poetry are considered a part of the canon of English literature, for example.Related to that, canon is also agreed-upon or established constraints within a fictional world, such as vampires being harmed by sunlight.A canon is also a religious rule put in place by someone of authority. In the Roman Catholic Church, for example, rules approved by the pope are considered canon.The body of all the religious laws is also called a canon.Example: The official canon of this writer has 30 works, but some people believe that she wrote over 100 in her lifetime.

Related Words

See principle.

Other Word Forms

• canonlike adjective

Etymology

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Like Harold Bloom, she was a staunch defender of the canon.

From The Wall Street Journal

Algerian lawmakers have been demanding that France return a 16th Century bronze canon, known as Baba Merzoug, meaning "Blessed Father", that was regarded as the protector of Algiers, now Algeria's capital.

From BBC

Wild London, coming late in such a revered canon of nature documentaries, is Sir David's way of nudging us to marvel at the nature on our doorsteps, amidst the frenzy of daily life.

From BBC

He tells Newsbeat there was an early decision to keep the TV show "canon" - that would become a guiding principle.

From BBC

It’s not easy to break into the holiday canon with a new track.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• precept
• tenet

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.