cannon

[kan-uh n] /ˈkæn ən/
noun, plural cannons (especially collectively) cannon.
1.
a mounted gun for firing heavy projectiles; a gun, howitzer, or mortar.
2.
British Machinery, quill (def 10).
3.
Armor. a cylindrical or semicylindrical piece of plate armor for the upper arm or forearm; a vambrace or rerebrace.
4.
Also called cannon bit, canon bit. a round bit for a horse.
5.
the part of a bit that is in the horse's mouth.
6.
(on a bell) the metal loop by which a bell is hung.
7.
Zoology.
  1. cannon bone.
  2. the part of the leg in which the cannon bone is situated.
8.
British. a carom in billiards.
9.
Underworld Slang. a pickpocket.
verb (used without object)
10.
to discharge cannon.
11.
British. to make a carom in billiards.
Origin
1375-1425 (earlier in Anglo-Latin, AF); late Middle English canon < Middle French < Italian cannone, equivalent to cann(a) tube (< Latin; see cane) + -one augmentative suffix
Can be confused
cannon, canon.

Cannon

[kan-uh n] /ˈkæn ən/
noun
1.
Annie Jump
[juhmp] /dʒʌmp/ (Show IPA), 1863–1941, U.S. astronomer.
2.
Joseph Gurney
[gur-nee] /ˈgɜr ni/ (Show IPA), ("Uncle Joe") 1836–1926, U.S. politician and legislator.
Examples from the web for cannon
  • As a little child fritz was awakened each morning by the firing of a cannon.
  • It is sometimes also claimed that he built or developed the first guns or cannon.
British Dictionary definitions for cannon

cannon

/ˈkænən/
noun (pl) -nons, -non
1.
an automatic aircraft gun of large calibre
2.
(history) a heavy artillery piece consisting of a metal tube mounted on a carriage
3.
a heavy tube or drum, esp one that can rotate freely on the shaft by which it is supported
4.
the metal loop at the top of a bell, from which it is suspended
5.
See cannon bone
6.
(billiards)
  1. a shot in which the cue ball is caused to contact one object ball after another
  2. the points scored by this Usual US and Canadian word carom
7.
a rebound or bouncing back, as of a ball off a wall
8.
either of the two parts of a vambrace
verb
9.
(intransitive) often foll by into. to collide (with)
10.
short for cannonade
11.
(intransitive) (billiards) to make a cannon
Word Origin
C16: from Old French canon, from Italian cannone cannon, large tube, from canna tube, cane1
Word Origin and History for cannon
n.

c.1400, "tube for projectiles," from Anglo-French canon, Old French canon (14c.), from Italian cannone "large tube, barrel," augmentative of Latin canna "reed, tube" (see cane (n.)). Meaning "large ordnance piece," the main modern sense, is from 1520s. Spelling not differentiated from canon till c.1800. Cannon fodder (1891) translates German kanonenfutter (cf. Shakespeare's food for powder in "I Hen. IV").

cannon in Science
Cannon
  (kān'ən)   
American astronomer noted for her work on classifying stellar spectra. Cannon classified the spectra of 225,300 stars brighter than magnitude 8.5, as well as 130,000 fainter stars.
Slang definitions & phrases for cannon

cannon

noun

A professional thief, esp a pickpocket: grand larceny, when a cannon lifts a wallet from a pocket

verb

: You're too small to cannon the street-cars

[1910+ Underworld; based on gun, ''thief,'' fr Yiddish gonif]


cannon

noun

A pistol; firearm; piece: He holstered his own cannon (1900+ Underworld)

Related Terms

loose cannon