American English pronunciation

How to pronounce canon

IPA transcription: ['kænən]

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['kænən]

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['kænən]

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['kænən]

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Noun

  • a rule or especially body of rules or principles generally established as valid and fundamental in a field or art or philosophy

    “the neoclassical canon”

    “canons of polite society”

  • a ravine formed by a river in an area with little rainfall

  • a priest who is a member of a cathedral chapter

  • a contrapuntal piece of music in which a melody in one part is imitated exactly in other parts

  • a complete list of saints that have been recognized by the Roman Catholic Church

  • a collection of books accepted as holy scripture especially the books of the Bible recognized by any Christian church as genuine and inspired

Usage examples

  • These are the metric canonical coordinates.
  • He was a canon at Saint Martin's Abbey in Laon.
  • Due to events, which contradict those of the series, this movie is considered non-canonical.
  • Many fans think they're in love, but unfortunately that's not canon.
  • He was canonized and counted among the saints of the Russian Orthodox Church.
  • He was ordained a priest and was a doctoral canon in the Cathedral of Puebla.
  • Buffy novels are not usually considered part of Buffyverse canon by fans.
  • Their current canonical status is that of a Pious Association of the Faithful.
  • The other canonical basilicas are minor basilicas.
  • Textual canons are rules of thumb for understanding the words of the text.