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View synonyms for

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.

    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

/ ˈæə /

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

/ ˈæə /

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

ñDz

3

/ ˈæə /

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
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Other Word Forms

  • canonlike adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of canon1

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English, from Latin, from Greek 첹ṓn “measuring rod, rule,” akin to áԲԲ “cԱ”; 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 ōԾܲ “(one) under the rule” (i.e., a priest as opposed to a lay person), from Latin “according to or under the rule,” from Greek 첹ōԾó; canon 1, -ic
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Word History and Origins

Origin of canon1

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

Origin of canon2

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

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

I’m curious what the conversations are like with DC, or “The Batman” director Matt Reeves, when your series has to fit into a larger canon.

From

She’s so tucked away, so deep in the canon of Marvel.

From

A spiced lettuce cake caught my eye for a moment, mostly because the author made a fair point: If we’ve accepted zucchini bread and carrot cake into the canon, why not lettuce?

From

But when he did play it, it was less about his archenemy than about L.A., a city with a new song in the canon, a definitive “Us” who were all alike in screaming it.

From

If you’re in the canon and the work is strong and belongs there, then it should be able to withstand questioning and prodding and widening.

From

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When To Use

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.

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