cannon C2+ Topic:War & Conflict US /ˈkæn.ən/ See IPA manual Homophones canon /ˈkæn.ən/ Freq #4834 Meanings 1 noun a large heavy gun for firing metal balls or shells The fortress still had an old cannon by the gate. 2 noun a billiards shot in which one ball strikes two others He won the frame with a difficult cannon. 3 verb to collide heavily or rebound with force The ball cannoned off the wall. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · a large heavy gun for... artillery gungunordnance 2 noun · a billiards shot in which... carom 3 verb · to collide heavily or... collidereboundricochet Word family Derived forms cannonedcannoningcannonscannonadecannonball Related forms canoncanister Etymology AI details From Middle English canon, from Old French canon and Italian cannone, from Latin canna ("reed, tube"), ultimately from Ancient Greek κάννα ("reed"). canon Middle English cannone Italian canna Latin κάννα Ancient Greek View etymology graph -> Topics War & Conflict External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # cannon **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun, verb **IPA (US):** /ˈkæn.ən/ **Frequency rank:** 4834 ## Meanings 1. a large heavy gun for firing metal balls or shells 2. a billiards shot in which one ball strikes two others 3. to collide heavily or rebound with force ## Examples - The fortress still had an old cannon by the gate. - He won the frame with a difficult cannon. - The ball cannoned off the wall. ## Synonyms - artillery gun - gun - ordnance - carom ## Derived Forms - cannoned - cannoning - cannons - cannonade - cannonball ## Related Forms - canon - canister ## Roots and Affixes - Root: canon - Root: cannone - Root: canna - Root: κάννα ## Etymology From Middle English canon, from Old French canon and Italian cannone, from Latin canna ("reed, tube"), ultimately from Ancient Greek κάννα ("reed"). ## AI Etymology Cannon comes from Middle English canon, through Old French and Italian cannone, from Latin canna, a reed or tube. The original image is tubular shape, which explains the large gun: a cannon is a heavy tube for firing projectiles. Later uses extend by analogy, including a billiards carom and the verb meaning to rebound or collide forcefully. The etymology therefore moves from reed or tube to weapon, then from weapon-like force to impact. ## Topics - War & Conflict markdown