cannon
/ˈkænən/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.02 in modern English
8
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A complete assembly, consisting of an artillery tube and a breech mechanism, firing mechanism or base cap, which is a component of a gun, howitzer or mortar, which may include muzzle appendages.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
A bone of a horse’s leg, between the fetlock joint and the knee or hock.
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "Holonyms: gun, field gun; howitzer; mortar"
- "water cannon; glitter cannon; confetti cannon; potato cannon"
- "a canon of beef or lamb"
- "Near-synonym: gun (often synonymous)"
- "In English billiards, a cannon is when one’s cue ball strikes the other player’s cue ball and the red ball on the same shot; and it is worth two points."
- "He’s got a cannon out in right."
Etymology
Attested from around 1400 as Middle English canon, canoun, from Old French canon, from Italian cannone, from Latin canna, from Ancient Greek κάννα (kánna, “reed”), from Akkadian 𒄀 (qanû, “reed”), from Sumerian 𒄀𒈾 (gi.na) (for more, see cane). Doublet of canyon. This spelling was not fixed until about 1800.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈkænən/
Usage
- Countable
- Uncountable
- Informal
- American usage
- Slang