cannon en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- kăn'ən
- /ˈkæn.ən/
- (US) audio
Etymology
Attested from around 1400 as Middle English canon, canoun, from Old French canon, from Italian cannone, from Latin canna, from Ancient Greek κάννα (kánna, “reed”), from Akkadian 𒄀 (qanû, “reed”), from Sumerian 𒄀𒈾 (gi.na) (for more, see cane). Doublet of canyon. This spelling was not fixed until about 1800.
Meanings
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(countable, uncountable) A complete assembly, consisting of an artillery tube and a breech mechanism, firing mechanism or base cap, which is a component of a gun, howitzer or mortar, which may include muzzle appendages.
Holonyms: gun, field gun; howitzer; mortar
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(countable, uncountable) Any similar device for shooting material out of a tube.
water cannon; glitter cannon; confetti cannon; potato cannon
- (countable, uncountable) Any similar device for shooting material out of a tube. ▸ An autocannon.
- (countable, uncountable) A bone of a horse’s leg, between the fetlock joint and the knee or hock.
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(countable, uncountable) A rolled and filleted loin of meat.
a canon of beef or lamb
- (countable, uncountable) A cannon bit.
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(countable, historical, uncountable) A large muzzle-loading artillery piece.
Near-synonym: gun (often synonymous)
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(countable, uncountable) A carom.
In English billiards, a cannon is when one’s cue ball strikes the other player’s cue ball and the red ball on the same shot; and it is worth two points.
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(countable, figuratively, informal, uncountable) The arm of a player who can throw well.
He’s got a cannon out in right.
- (countable, uncountable) A hollow cylindrical piece carried by a revolving shaft, on which it may, however, revolve independently.
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(countable, historical, uncountable) A cylindrical item of plate armor protecting the arm, particularly one of a pair of such cylinders worn with a couter, the upper cannon protecting the upper arm and the lower cannon protecting the forearm.
The pauldrons are rather weak, but the cannons of the vambraces are good and come from an Italian armour of considerably earlier date, for they have the tulip form of the first half of the century.
1949, The Connoisseur:During the second half of the century the upper cannons were often joined to the pauldrons […] Here the cannons and the couter, although separate, are joined together when worn by the points securing them to the arming […]
1972, Claude Blair, European Armour: Circa 1066 to Circa 1700:The breastplate was now usually globular in shape with attached tassets. The arm defenses were almost always in one piece, the lower and upper cannons joined permanently to the couter with internal leathers and rivets, and the whole frequently also joined permanently to the pauldron.
2007, Kelly DeVries, Robert Douglas Smith, Medieval Weapons: An Illustrated History of Their Impact, ABC-CLIO, →ISBN, page 178:
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(alt-of, alternative, uncountable) Alternative form of canon (“a large size of type”).
alt of canon
- (countable, uncountable) A piece which moves horizontally and vertically like a rook but captures another piece by jumping over a different piece in the line of attack.
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(US, countable, slang, uncountable) A pickpocket.
A good pickpocket is known to his fellows as a pistol. Rufus Dayne is a cannon. One of the best pickpockets in the country, he makes close to a million dollars a year and has no criminal record at all.
2009, James Thomson, Bedlam City: Savage Worlds Edition, page 377:I also learned never to conspicuoulsy^([sic]) watch a cannon while he was working. Pickpockets dislike being watched, even by those who may be "right," because they become uneasy and clumsy and feel conspicuous.
1977, Robert S. Weppner, Street ethnography, page 70:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| cannon | Number=Plur | UK | lexicographic |
| cannons | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Coordinates
small arm · vambrace · rerebrace · firearm
Deriveds
cannon fodder · cannon bone · cannon box · megacannon · cannon ball · cannon lock · cannonlike · slum cannon · cannonproof · snow cannon · loose cannon · Vulcan cannon · cannon cracker · hand cannon · cannonry · cannon roll · potato cannon · cannon cocker · spool cannon · water cannon · cannoneer · supercannon · calcium cannon · cannonade · noob cannon · cannonball · cannon shot · demi-cannon · cannon bit · chicken cannon · custard cannon · nursery cannon · glass cannon · autocannon · cannoner · cannon-ball · cannon pinion · cannon-fodder · cannon game · cannon metal
Descendants
Synonyms
Translations (151)
as তোপ (artillery piece) · tk top (artillery piece) · da kanon (artillery piece) · lv lielgabals (artillery piece) · gu તોપ (artillery piece) · el κανόνι (artillery piece) · nrf canon (artillery piece) · sh tȍp (artillery piece) · az top (artillery piece) · vo kän (artillery piece) · tr savaş topu (artillery piece) · oc canon (artillery piece) · kn ತೋಪು (artillery piece) · ru пу́шка (artillery piece) · bn তোপ (artillery piece) · gl canón (artillery piece) · sq top (artillery piece) · lo ປືນໃຫຍ່ (artillery piece) · eu kanoi (artillery piece) · cmn 大砲 /大炮 (artillery piece) · csb armata (artillery piece) · nl kanon (artillery piece) · acw مِدْفَع (artillery piece) · haw pū kuni ahi (artillery piece) · rif rburqi (artillery piece) · he תּוֹתָח (artillery piece) · sl top (artillery piece) · ota طوپ (artillery piece) · az döyüş topu (artillery piece) · bg оръ́дие (artillery piece) · pl działo (artillery piece) · be гарма́та (artillery piece) · km កាំភ្លើងមេរៀម (artillery piece) · tl kanyon (artillery piece) · na ekanen (artillery piece) · cmn 加農 /加农 (artillery piece) · enm canon (artillery piece) · hi कमान (artillery piece) · cs karambol (billiard shot) · ja キャノン (artillery piece) · uz toʻp (artillery piece) · id meriam (artillery piece) · enm bombard (artillery piece) · kk зеңбірек (artillery piece) · el καραμπόλα (billiard shot) · cmn 加農炮 /加农炮 (artillery piece) · eo pafilego (artillery piece) · ga canóin (artillery piece) · cmn 炮 (artillery piece) · cv тупӑ (artillery piece) · fi kanuuna (large muzzle-loading artillery piece) · gld пао (artillery piece) · bg топ (artillery piece) · kmr sarox (artillery piece) · lt patranka (artillery piece) · te ఫిరంగి (artillery piece) · nb kanon (artillery piece) · be пу́шка (artillery piece) · ajp مدفع (artillery piece) · csb kanóna (artillery piece) · ro tun (artillery piece) · orv пушька (artillery piece) · eo kanono (artillery piece) · fi kanuuna (baseball: good throwing hand) · is fallbyssa (artillery piece) · mk топ (artillery piece) · km កាំភ្លើងធំ (artillery piece) · hi तोप (artillery piece) · vi súng thần công (artillery piece) · sh то̏п (artillery piece) · lez туп (artillery piece) · arz مدفع (artillery piece) · ru ору́дие (artillery piece) · mg tafondro (artillery piece) · tg тӯп (artillery piece) · ps توپ (artillery piece) · pl armata (artillery piece) · qu kañun (artillery piece) · ur توپ (artillery piece) · qu hatun illapa (artillery piece) · prs توپ (artillery piece) · ne तोप (artillery piece) · ms meriam (artillery piece) · mi pū repo (artillery piece) · za bauq (artillery piece) · es cañón (artillery piece) · pdt Kanoon (artillery piece) · bg карамбо́л (billiard shot) · sv kanon (artillery piece) · pt canhão (artillery piece) · la pyrobolus (artillery piece) · kmr moşek (artillery piece) · hu ágyú (artillery piece) · sgs armata (artillery piece) · hu löveg (artillery piece) · ast cañón (artillery piece) · tr top (artillery piece) · bn কামান (artillery piece) · la tormentum (artillery piece) · haw olohao (artillery piece) · ckb لولەتۆپ (artillery piece) · mn их буу (artillery piece) · sw mzinga (artillery piece) · ky замбирек (artillery piece) · as হিলৈ (artillery piece) · vi pháo (artillery piece) · pl karambol (billiard shot) · fi tykki (artillery piece) · mnc ᡦᠣᠣ (artillery piece) · fi heittokäsi (baseball: good throwing hand) · hy թնդանոթ (artillery piece) · ug توپ (artillery piece) · cy canon (artillery piece) · ar مِدْفَع (artillery piece) · cs kanón (large muzzle-loading artillery piece) · ms bedil (artillery piece) · ka ქვემეხი (artillery piece) · xal тов (artillery piece) · jv mriem (artillery piece) · fa-ira توپ (artillery piece) · my အမြောက် (artillery piece) · orv пушка (artillery piece) · th ปืนใหญ่ (artillery piece) · mr तोफ (artillery piece) · ja 大砲 (artillery piece) · fr canon (artillery piece) · am መድፍ (artillery piece) · izh tykki (artillery piece) · ko 캐넌 (artillery piece) · mk карамбол (billiard shot) · sk delo (artillery piece) · uk гарма́та (artillery piece) · de Kanone (artillery piece) · it carambola (billiard shot) · ru карамбо́ль (billiard shot) · lb Kanoun (artillery piece) · ja カノン砲 (artillery piece) · kbd топ (artillery piece) · ti መድፍዕ (artillery piece) · vi đại pháo (artillery piece) · ml പീരങ്കി (artillery piece) · cs dělo (artillery piece) · et kahur (artillery piece) · ab абзарбзан (artillery piece) · it cannone (artillery piece) · af kanon (artillery piece) · ko 대포 (artillery piece) · sa नळिकम् (artillery piece) · kmr top (artillery piece) · ca canó (artillery piece) · dsb kanuna (artillery piece)