Etymology Map
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Cannon

4 stages from Greek to English.

Today it means a large heavy gun on wheels

Where does the word "cannon" come from? It comes from Greek kanna, passing through Latin and Italian before entering English (1400s).

1
Stage 1 of 4
kanna
Greek · ancient
"reed"
a reed
2
Stage 2 of 4
canna
Latin · ancient
"reed, tube"
a reed or tube; 'cane' and 'canal' share the root
3
Stage 3 of 4
cannone
Italian · 1300s
"big tube, cannon"
'big tube', one of the new gunpowder weapons of the 1300s
4
Stage 4 of 4
cannon
English · 1400s
"big gun"
came via French 'canon'
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Read the full story

Cannon’s story begins in Greek: kanna meant “reed.” A reed. By ancient, the word had taken hold in Latin as canna. A reed or tube; 'cane' and 'canal' share the root. From there it passed into Italian as cannone by 1300s. 'big tube', one of the new gunpowder weapons of the 1300s. It reached English by 1400s as cannon. Came via French 'canon'. Today, cannon means a large heavy gun on wheels.