canister
English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From Middle English canustyr (“basket”), a borrowing from Latin canistrum.[1][2] Doublet of canaster and knaster.
- (metal receptacle): Through influence of unrelated can.[1]
- (projectile): Short for canister shot, so called for its casing.[1]
Pronunciation
[edit]Audio (Southern England): (file) - (US) IPA(key): /ˈkænɪstɚ/
Noun
[edit]canister (plural canisters)
- A cylindrical or rectangular container usually of lightweight metal, plastic, or laminated pasteboard used for holding a dry product (as tea, crackers, flour, matches).
- 1963, Margery Allingham, “Foreword”, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
- Everything a living animal could do to destroy and to desecrate bed and walls had been done. […] A canister of flour from the kitchen had been thrown at the looking-glass and lay like trampled snow over the remains of a decent blue suit with the lining ripped out which lay on top of the ruin of a plastic wardrobe.
- Any of various cylindrical metal receptacles usually with a removable close-fitting top.
- A special short-range antipersonnel projectile consisting of a casing of light metal, loaded with preformed submissiles such as flechettes or steel balls. The casing is designed to open just beyond the muzzle of the weapon, dispersing the submissiles.
- A projectile component containing colored or screening smoke or riot control agent composition.
- A component of canister-type protective masks containing a mechanical filter and chemical filling to filter, neutralize and/or absorb toxic chemical, biological and radiological agents.
- Part of a windmill that connects the sails to the windshaft.
- (boxing, slang, archaic) A person's head.
- 1897, R. G. Allanson-Winn, Bertram Fletcher Robinson, Boxing, page 225:
- Caunt let fly left and right, but Bendy ducked his canister, and got down with more caution than gallantry.
Derived terms
[edit]Related terms
[edit]Descendants
[edit]Translations
[edit]container
|
cylindrical metal receptacle
|
short range antipersonnel projectile — see grapeshot
projectile component
component of protective mask
Verb
[edit]canister (third-person singular simple present canisters, present participle canistering, simple past and past participle canistered)
- (transitive) To pack into a canister.
References
[edit]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “canister (n.)”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
- ^ “canister, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
Anagrams
[edit]Categories:
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *-trom
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Latin
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- English terms with audio pronunciation
- English 3-syllable words
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- en:Boxing
- English slang
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- en:Containers