A
cannon (plural:
cannon or
cannons) is any piece of
artillery that uses
gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellants to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in
calibre, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees, depending on their intended use on the battlefield. The word
cannon is derived from several languages, in which the original definition can usually be translated as
tube,
cane, or
reed. In the modern era, the term
cannon has fallen into decline, replaced by "guns" or "artillery" if not a more specific term such as "mortar" or "howitzer", except for in the field of
aerial warfare, where it is often used as shorthand for
autocannon.
