"canons" in the noun sense
1. canon
a rule or especially body of rules or principles generally established as valid and fundamental in a field of art or philosophy
"the neoclassical canon"
"canons of polite society"
2. canon
a priest who is a member of a cathedral chapter
3. canyon, canon
a ravine formed by a river in an area with little rainfall
4. canon
a contrapuntal piece of music in which a melody in one part is imitated exactly in other parts
5. canon
a complete list of saints that have been recognized by the Roman Catholic Church
6. canon
a collection of books accepted as holy scripture especially the books of the Bible recognized by any Christian church as genuine and inspired
Source: WordNet® (An amazing lexical database of English)
Princeton University "About WordNet®."
WordNet®. Princeton University. 2010.
View WordNet® License