Meanings
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1
noun
a usually cylindrical container with a close-fitting lid, used for storing a dry product, film, gas, or other material
She poured the tea leaves into an airtight metal canister.
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2
noun
a metal case packed with small projectiles and fired as ammunition, or the ammunition itself
The artillery crew loaded a canister for use at close range.
Thesaurus
Etymology
From Middle English canistre or canaster, borrowed from Latin canistrum ('basket'), itself from Greek kanastron. The modern metal-container sense was influenced by can; canister shot was named for the case that held its small projectiles.