canister

Meanings

1. 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.

2. 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.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Canister originally meant a basket and comes from Latin canistrum, “basket for bread, fruit, or flowers.” The Latin word derives from Greek kanastron, “wicker basket,” which in turn comes from kanna, “cane” or “reed.”

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.

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External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary