English
qanun
Qanun comes from Arabic قَانُون, and goes back to Ancient Greek κανών ‘rod, pole, bar’.
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκανών1kanṓn‘rod, pole, bar’
- Arabicc. 500–presentقَانُون1qānūn
- Ottoman Turkishc. 1300–1928قانون1kanun
- Turkish1928–presentkanun1
- Englishearliest quotation 2009qanun1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English qanun
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2009, Daniel J. Wakin, Ensemble Ambitions in a World Divided: “WISPS of mournful tunes from a cane flute mingled…”.
Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.
Lineage
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκανώνWiktionary, English qanunkanṓn‘rod, pole, bar’
- Arabicc. 500–presentقَانُونWiktionary, English qanunqānūn
- Ottoman Turkishc. 1300–1928قانونWiktionary, English qanunkanun
- Turkish1928–presentkanunWiktionary, English qanun
- Englishearliest quotation 2009qanunWiktionary, English qanun. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2009, Daniel J. Wakin, Ensemble Ambitions in a World Divided: “WISPS of mournful tunes from a cane flute mingled…”
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’
Today it means
noun A Near Eastern and Caucasian musical instrument related to the zither, dulcimer, or harp having either 26 strings and a single bridge, or 42 strings and two bridges.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “qanun”. 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 / qanun