canon

¹can·on

noun \ˈka-nən\

Definition of CANON

1

a : a regulation or dogma decreed by a church council b : a provision of canon law

2

[Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin, from Latin, model] : the most solemn and unvarying part of the Mass including the consecration of the bread and wine

3

[Middle English, from Late Latin, from Latin, standard] a : an authoritative list of books accepted as Holy Scripture b : the authentic works of a writer c : a sanctioned or accepted group or body of related works <the canon of great literature>

4

a : an accepted principle or rule b : a criterion or standard of judgment c : a body of principles, rules, standards, or norms

5

[Late Greek kanōn, from Greek, model] : a contrapuntal musical composition in which each successively entering voice presents the initial theme usually transformed in a strictly consistent way

Origin of CANON

Middle English, from Old English, from Late Latin, from Latin, ruler, rule, model, standard, from Greek kanōn

First Known Use: before 12th century

Other Christian Religious Terms

Pentateuch, blasphemy, curate, doxology, eremite, iconoclasm, liturgy, orison, pneuma, reliquary

Rhymes with CANON

cannon, tannin