# cannon

Pronunciation: say "KAN-uhn" /ˈkæn.ən/

## Noun

1. The complete barrel assembly of a gun, howitzer or mortar, including its breech and firing mechanism.
   - Simple: The tube of a big military gun, together with the parts at the back that close it and fire it.
   - _After several thousand rounds, the crew replaced the cannon on their howitzer._
   - _Inspectors examined every cannon for wear in the tube and the breech mechanism before the mortars were shipped._
2. A large artillery piece of former times, loaded through the muzzle.
   - Simple: A large, heavy gun from long ago that was loaded through its open front end.
   - _The pirates rolled a cannon to the rail and fired on the merchant ship._
   - _Visitors to the fort can still see the rusting cannons that once guarded the harbor._
3. Any device that, like an artillery gun, shoots material out of a tube, such as water, confetti or potatoes.
   - Simple: A machine that shoots something, like water or confetti, out of a tube.
   - _Riot police brought in a water cannon to clear the square._
   - _The stage crew loaded the cannon with paper streamers for the final song._
6. In baseball, the throwing arm of a player who can throw well. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: In baseball, the arm of a player who can throw the ball very well.
   - _Their catcher has a cannon, so nobody tries to steal second._
   - _The rookie shortstop has a cannon for an arm and a quick release._
7. An autocannon: an automatic rapid-fire gun, especially one carried by a military aircraft.
   - Simple: An automatic gun that fires many shots very quickly, often fitted to a warplane.
   - _The fighter closed to within range and opened fire with its cannon._
   - _The attack helicopter's nose cannon can swivel to follow the pilot's helmet sight._
9. A carom: a shot in which the cue ball strikes two other balls in a single stroke.
   - Simple: In games like billiards, a shot where the ball you hit touches two other balls.
   - _He played a delicate cannon, kissing the red before his ball came to rest against his opponent's._
   - _A run of close cannons kept her at the table for most of the evening._
11. In a horse's leg, the bone that runs between the fetlock joint and the knee or hock.
   - Simple: A bone in a horse's lower leg, between the knee or hock and the fetlock, a joint near the hoof.
   - _The mare fractured her left front cannon during the race._
   - _Wrap each cannon firmly before you load the horse into the trailer._
12. In xiangqi, a piece that moves horizontally and vertically like a rook but captures only by jumping over a single other piece in its line of attack.
   - Simple: In Chinese chess, a piece that moves in straight lines and must jump over one piece to take another.
   - _Her cannon leaped over a soldier to capture the undefended chariot._
   - _Opening with the central cannon is one of the most popular starts in xiangqi._
13. A loin of meat, such as beef or lamb, that has been boned and rolled.
   - Simple: A long piece of meat from along an animal's back, with the bone taken out, rolled up for cooking.
   - _Tonight's menu features a cannon of lamb with rosemary and roasted garlic._
   - _Sear the cannon of beef on all sides before it goes into the oven._
14. A type of bit, the part of a bridle that sits in a horse's mouth; short for cannon bit.
   - Simple: A kind of bit, the piece that goes in a horse's mouth. Its full name is cannon bit.
   - _The mare accepted the cannon calmly after a week of schooling._
   - _The museum's old bridle still has its cannon, worn smooth by years of use._
15. A hollow cylindrical part carried on a rotating shaft but free to turn on it independently.
   - Simple: A hollow tube that sits on a turning rod but can spin on its own.
   - _The pulley is mounted on a cannon so it can idle while the shaft keeps turning._
   - _A bronze cannon on the drive shaft lets the gear stand still while the shaft spins beneath it._
16. In plate armor, a tube-shaped piece protecting the upper arm or the forearm.
   - Simple: In old armor, a metal tube that covers the upper arm or the forearm.
   - _The lower cannon was riveted to the couter so the forearm stayed covered when the elbow bent._
   - _Both cannons on this arm defense are original, but the gauntlets were added later._
17. A thief who steals from people's pockets. *(slang, US)*
   - Simple: A person who secretly steals things from other people's pockets.
   - _The old cannon could lift a wallet on a packed subway car without anyone feeling a thing._
   - _Detectives on the squad knew every cannon in the city by sight._

## Verb

4. To collide with something or strike it violently, especially so as to glance off it or bounce back.
   - Simple: To crash into something hard and fast, often bouncing off it.
   - _Late for the meeting, he rounded the corner and cannoned into a waiter carrying a tray of glasses._
   - _Loose shopping carts cannon into parked cars whenever the wind picks up._
5. To fire something rapidly, especially a ball or another round object.
   - Simple: To shoot or send something very fast, often something round like a ball.
   - _Rodriguez cannoned a free kick off the crossbar in the final minute._
   - _The practice machine can cannon tennis balls across the court at ninety miles an hour._
8. To bombard a place or target with cannons.
   - Simple: To attack a place by firing big guns at it.
   - _The warships cannoned the fort for two days before the troops went ashore._
   - _The rebels threatened to cannon the town unless its gates were opened._
10. To play a carom: to make the cue ball strike two other balls in one shot.
   - Simple: In billiards, to hit two balls with your cue ball in one shot.
   - _Needing two points, she cannoned gently off the red onto her opponent's ball._
   - _Beginners often cannon off the black by accident when they go for a red._

## Other meanings

- (noun) Alternative form of canon, a large size of type.

## Origin

Attested from around 1400 as Middle English canon or canoun, from Old French canon, from Italian cannone, from Latin canna, from Ancient Greek κάννα (kánna, “reed”), from Akkadian qanû (“reed”), from Sumerian gi.na. It is a doublet of canyon, and the spelling cannon was not fixed until about 1800.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/cannon (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).