/ ˈkænən; NAmE / noun
1.
a Christian priest with special duties in a cathedral
2.
( formal ) a generally accepted rule, standard or principle by which sth is judged
3.
a list of the books or other works that are generally accepted as the genuine work of a particular writer or as being important :
the Shakespeare canon
'Wuthering Heights' is a central book in the canon of English literature.
4.
a piece of music in which singers or instruments take it in turns to repeat the melody (= tune)
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WORD ORIGIN
senses 2 to 4 Old English : from Latin , from Greek kanōn rule, reinforced in Middle English by Old French canon .
sense 1 Middle English (in the sense regular ): from Old French canonie , from Latin canonicus according to rule from Greek kanonikos , from kanon rule.