Qanun
/qɑːˈnuːn/noun
A Middle Eastern and North African zither with many strings stretched over a flat, trapezoidal soundbox.
Did you know?The qanun’s name ultimately comes from Greek kanōn, a word for a measuring standard that also gave English canon.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
κανών (kanōn)
“A measuring rod, standard, rule, or authoritative model”
Late Antiquity
Greek
κανών (kanōn)
“A rule or standard; also the name of a stringed musical instrument”
7th–10th Century
Arabic
قانون (qānūn)
“A rule, law, or regulated system; later, a trapezoidal stringed instrument”
Medieval Period
Persian
قانون (qānūn)
“The qanun instrument, adopted into Persian musical culture”
Ottoman Period
Ottoman Turkish
kanun
“A plucked zither used in courtly and regional music”
Modern English
English
qanun
“A Middle Eastern and North African zither”