(kan′ən) noun
1. A rule or law; standard; criterion.
2. The books of the Bible that are recognized by the Church as inspired.
3. The list of an author′s works which are accepted as genuine: the Shakespearian canon.
4. Eccl. An official list or catalog, as of the saints recognized by a church, or of the members of a cathedral chapter.
5. Eccl. A rule of faith or discipline, especially one enacted by a church council and (in the Roman Catholic Church) ratified by the Pope.
6. Often cap. The portion of the mass between the Sanctus and the Lord′s Prayer.
7. Printing A size of type nearly four times as large as pica; 48-point type. See PICA.
8. Music A composition having voices or parts wherein each voice or part in turn takes up the same melody (called the subject), and all combine to make harmony: the strictest form of musical imitation.
9. One of the metal loops at the top of a bell, by which it is hung. See synonyms under LAW, RULE. ◆ Homophone: cannon. [OE <L <Gk. kanōn rule, straight rod]

(kan′ən) noun
A member of the chapter of a cathedral or collegiate church. ◆ Homophone: cannon. [OE canonic <LL canonicus cleric <canon rule. See CANON¹.]

(kan′yən, Sp. kä·nyōn′)
See CANYON.