Etymograph

English

cannon

Cannon comes from Old French canon ‘tube’, from Italian cannone ‘cannon (all senses)’, and ultimately from Sumerian gi.na.

  1. Sumerianc. 3100–1800 BCEgi.na1transliteratedcuneiform gi.na, a transliteration; the original signs are in Wiktionary
  2. Akkadianc. 2500–100 BCEqanû1transliteratedcuneiform qanû, a transliteration; the original signs are in Wiktionary‘reed’
  3. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκάννα1kánna‘reed’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcanna1
  5. Italianc. 1300–presentcannone1‘cannon (all senses)’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400canon1‘tube’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500canon1
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1898cannon1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English cannon
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1898, Rudyard Kipling, The Maltese Cat: “[…] he heard the right-hand goal post crack as…”.

Lineage

  1. Sumerianc. 3100–1800 BCEgi.naWiktionary, English cannontransliteratedcuneiform gi.na, a transliteration; the original signs are in Wiktionary
  2. Akkadianc. 2500–100 BCEqanûWiktionary, English cannontransliteratedcuneiform qanû, a transliteration; the original signs are in Wiktionary‘reed’
  3. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκάνναWiktionary, English cannonkánna‘reed’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcannaWiktionary, English cannon
  5. Italianc. 1300–presentcannoneWiktionary, English cannon‘cannon (all senses)’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400canonWiktionary, English cannon‘tube’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500canonWiktionary, English cannon
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1898cannonWiktionary, English cannon. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1898, Rudyard Kipling, The Maltese Cat: “[…] he heard the right-hand goal post crack as…”

The story

Attested from around 1400 as Middle English canon, canoun, from Old French canon, from Italian cannone, from Latin canna, from Ancient Greek κάννα (kánna, “reed”), from Akkadian 𒄀 (qanû, “reed”), from Sumerian 𒄀𒈾 (gi.na) (for more, see cane). This spelling was not fixed until about 1800.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Ancient Greek κάννα ‘reed’

canister, kanon, 8 more

through Latin canna

canada, channel, canal, cane, kennel, cannula, canna, 8 more

through Old French canon ‘tube’

canon

Today it means

noun A complete assembly, consisting of an artillery tube and a breech mechanism, firing mechanism or base cap, which is a component of a gun, howitzer or mortar, which may include muzzle appendages.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “cannon”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Sumerian gi.na / cannon

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