Etymograph

English

kanun

Kanun comes from Albanian kanun ‘a set of codified traditional Albanian laws,…’, from Ottoman Turkish قانون ‘law’, and ultimately from Ancient Greek κανών ‘rod, pole, bar’.

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκανών1‘rod, pole, bar’
  2. Arabicc. 500–presentقَانُون1
  3. Ottoman Turkishc. 1300–1928قانون1‘law’
  4. Albanianmodernkanun2‘a set of codified traditional Albanian laws, specifically the Kanun of Lekë Dukagjini’
  5. Englishtodaykanun2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Albanian kanun
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English kanun

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκανώνWiktionary, Albanian kanun‘rod, pole, bar’
  2. Arabicc. 500–presentقَانُونWiktionary, Albanian kanun
  3. Ottoman Turkishc. 1300–1928قانونWiktionary, Albanian kanun‘law’
  4. AlbanianmodernkanunWiktionary, English kanun‘a set of codified traditional Albanian laws, specifically the Kanun of Lekë Dukagjini’
  5. EnglishtodaykanunWiktionary, English kanun

Linked words

through Akkadian 𒂵𒉡𒌑𒌝 ‘reed’

canada, channel, cane, canna, cannoli, cannula, 13 more

through Ancient Greek κάννα ‘reed’

canal, cannon, kennel, canister, kanon, 7 more

through Ancient Greek κανών ‘rod, pole, bar’

canon, 2 more

Today it means

noun A set of traditional Albanian laws.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “kanun”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Albanian kanun. 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 / Ancient Greek κανών / kanun

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