Standard Lemma guide

qanun

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

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.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: entertainment, lifestyle, music

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Turkish kanun, from Ottoman Turkish قانون (kanun), from Arabic قَانُون (qānūn), from Ancient Greek κανών (kanṓn). Doublet of canon.

Across languages

Translations

9 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: قَانُون (qānūn) — musical instrument
  • Armenian: քանոն (kʻanon) — musical instrument
  • Middle Armenian: ղանոն (ġanon) — musical instrument
  • Azerbaijani: qanun — musical instrument
  • Greek: κανονάκι (kanonáki) — musical instrument
  • Hindi: कानून (kānūn) — musical instrument
  • Japanese: カーヌーン (kānūn) — musical instrument
  • Russian: кано́н (kanón) — musical instrument
  • Turkish: kanun — musical instrument