cannon

C2+ Topic:Materials & Substances

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.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a large heavy gun for... artillery gungun ordnance

2 noun · a billiards shot in which... carom

3 verb · to collide heavily or... collide rebound ricochet

Word family

Derived forms cannonedcannoningcannonscannonade cannonball

Related forms canon canister

Simplified etymology

Cannon came into Middle English from French canon, which derives from Italian cannone, “large tube.” Cannone is based on canna, “cane, reed, or tube,” referring to the weapon’s tubular form.

Etymology

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

Materials & Substances

External links

# 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
- Materials & Substances

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