canon
/ˈkæn.ən/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.11 in modern English
7
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A group of literary works that are generally accepted as representing a field.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
A catalogue of saints acknowledged and canonized in the Roman Catholic Church.
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "The trial must proceed according to the canons of law."
- "Or that the Everlasting had not fixed His canon 'gainst self-slaughter."
- "the Canon of Polykleitos"
- "Despite the many advances made by modern scholars towards a clearer comprehension of the theoretical basis of the Canon of Polykleitos, the results of these studies show an absence of any general agreement upon the practical application of that canon in works of art."
- "Russo had been working as a salesman, selling Great Books of the Western World, hawking the canon to the rubes."
- "the durable canon of American short fiction"
Etymology
From Middle English canoun, from Old French canon and Old English canon, both from Latin canōn, from Ancient Greek κανών (kanṓn, “measuring rod, standard”), akin to κάννα (kánna, “reed”), from Semitic (compare Hebrew קָנֶה (qane, “reed”) and Arabic قَنَاة (qanāh, “reed”)). Doublet of qanun. See also cane, cannon, canyon, canal.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: canoun, canon, canōn, κανών, -, canonicus
Usage
Subject
Wiktionary places this term in Law.