can ‧ on /ˈkænən/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Sense 1: Date: 1100-1200 ; Language: Anglo-French ; Origin: canunie , from Late Latin canonicus 'person living under a rule' , from Greek , from kanon ]
[ Sense 2-5: Date: 800-900 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: 'ruler, rule, standard' , from Greek kanon ]
1 . a Christian priest who has special duties in a ↑ cathedral
2 . formal a standard, rule, or principle, or set of these, that are believed by a group of people to be right and good
canon of
Mapplethorpe’s pictures offended the canons of American good taste.
3 . formal
a) a list of books or pieces of music that are officially recognized as being the work of a certain writer:
the Shakespearean canon
b) all the books that are recognized as being the most important pieces of literature:
the literary canon
4 . a piece of music in which a tune is started by one singer or instrument and is copied by each of the others
5 . an established law of the Christian church