Canon

UK: /ˈkænən/ US: /ˈkænən/ ,(kan′ən)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

can•on¹ /ˈkænən/   n. [countable]

1. Religion a rule or law of a church established by authority.
2. a principle or standard of behavior:
   You have gone past the canons of good behavior.
3. Religion an officially recognized set of sacred or authentic writings in a field.

can•on² /ˈkænən/   n. [countable]

1. Religion a member of a church assigned to a cathedral.

ca•ñon /ˈkænyən/   n. 

1. Geology canyon.

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

can•yon /ˈkænyən/   n. [countable]

1. Geology, Geography, Place Names a deep valley with steep sides.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

can•on¹  (kan′ən), n. 

1. Religion an ecclesiastical rule or law enacted by a council or other competent authority and, in the Roman Catholic Church, approved by the pope.
2. Religion 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. Religion the books of the Bible recognized by any Christian church as genuine and inspired.
7. Religion 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.
   Cf. apocrypha (def. 3).
10. Religion a catalog or list, as of the saints acknowledged by the Church.
11. Religion [Liturgy.] the part of the Mass between the Sanctus and the Communion.
12. Religion [Eastern Ch.] a liturgical sequence sung at matins, usually consisting of nine odes arranged in a fixed pattern.
13. Music and Dance consistent, note-for-note imitation of one melodic line by another, in which the second line starts after the first.
14. [Print.] a 48-point type.

• Greek kanó̄n measuring rod, rule, akin to kánna cane
• Latin
• Middle English, Old English bef. 900

can′on•like′, adj. 
Synonyms

• 3, 4.
• 5. See principle. 

can•on²  (kan′ən), n. 

1. Religion 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. Religion [Rom. Cath. Ch.] one of the members (canons regular)of certain religious orders.

• Greek kanōnikós. See canon¹, -ic
• Medieval Latin canōnicus, Latin: of or under rule
• 1150–1200; Middle English; back formation from Old English canōnic (one) under rule

ca•ñon  (kan′yən), n. 

1. Geology canyon.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

can•yon  (kan′yən), n. 

1. Geology, Geography, Place Names a deep valley with steep sides, often with a stream flowing through it.

Also, cañon. 

• Latin canna cane) + -on augmentative suffix
• American Spanish, Spanish cañón a long tube, a hollow, equivalent. to cañ(a) tube (
• 1835–45, American.

Synonyms

gorge, gully, ravine, pass, gap, arroyo, coulee.

Can•yon  (kan′yən), n. 

1. Place Names a town in N Texas. 10,724.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

canon / ˈkænən/ noun

1. 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. the complete list of the canonized saints
5. 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 round31, catch33
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

Etymology: Old English, from Latin, from Greek kanōn rule, rod for measuring, standard; related to kanna reed, cane¹

canon / 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 a member of either of two religious orders, the Augustinian or Premonstratensian Canons, living communally as monks but performing clerical duties

Etymology: 13th Century: from Anglo-French canunie, from Late Latin canonicus one living under a rule, from canon¹

canonical / kəˈnɒnɪk^əl/, canonic adjective

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

cañon / ˈkænjən/ noun

1. a variant spelling of canyon

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

canyon, cañon / ˈkænjən/ noun

1. a gorge or ravine, esp in North America, usually formed by the down-cutting of a river in a dry area where there is insufficient rainfall to erode the sides of the valley

Etymology: 19th Century: from Spanish cañón, from caña tube, from Latin canna cane