canon
noun/ˈkænən/
/ˈkænən/
- [countable] a Christian priest with special duties in a cathedralTopics Religion and festivalsc2
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- [countable] (formal) a generally accepted rule, standard or principle by which something is judged
- the canons of good taste
- Voluntary and informed consent is the central canon of medical ethics.
- [countable, usually singular] a list of the books or other works that are generally accepted as the real work of a particular writer or as being important
- the Shakespeare canon
- ‘Wuthering Heights’ is a central book in the canon of English literature.
- [countable] a piece of music in which singers or instruments take it in turns to repeat the melody (= tune)
- a canon for tenor and bass
Word Originsenses 2 to 4 Old English: from Latin, from Greek kanōn ‘rule’, reinforced in Middle English by Old French canon.sense 1 Middle English (in the sense ‘regular’): from Old French canonie, from Latin canonicus ‘according to rule’ from Greek kanonikos, from kanon ‘rule’.
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