canon

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
canon1

▶noun

• 1 a general rule or principle by which something is judged.

  ■ a Church decree or law.

• 2 a collection or list of sacred books accepted as genuine.

  ■ the works of a particular author or artist that are recognized as genuine.

  ■ a list of literary works considered to be permanently established as being of the highest quality.

• 3 the part of the Roman Catholic Mass containing the words of consecration.

• 4 Music a piece in which the same melody is begun in different parts successively, so that the imitations overlap.

– phrases
in canon Music with different parts successively beginning the same melody.

– origin OE: from L., from Gk kanōn ‘rule’, reinforced in ME by OFr. canon.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
canon2

▶noun

• 1 a member of the clergy on the staff of a cathedral, especially one who is a member of the chapter.

• 2 (also canon regular or regular canon) (fem. canoness) a member of certain orders of Roman Catholic clergy that live communally like monks or nuns.

– origin ME: from OFr. canonie, from L. canonicus (see canonic).