Kanonnen

Kanonnen is the plural form of the German noun Kanone, which translates to cannon in English. The word dates back to the early 16th century and is derived from the French «canon ». It entered German usage as a borrowing from French in the 1530s, when artillery technology was expanding rapidly across Europe. The singular form, Kanone, has remained stable in modern German, while the plural form is used both for historical discussion of muzzle-loading or breech-loading artillery pieces and for contemporary references to firearms and missiles.

In Dutch, kanonnen has the same meaning and is similarly used in historical contexts, describing medieval and early modern cannons. The Swedish term kanoner, and the Danish and Norwegian kanoner, also share the same etymology and refer to cannon-like weapons. Linguistically, the suffix –nen marks the plural in German, and the form has been recorded in early printed works of the 17th century that describe battlefield artillery.

Modern German usage of kanonnen can be found in literature about the Thirty‑Century War, the Napoleonic Wars, and the Third Reich’s ordnance, where the term specifies a type of large siege gun. In more contemporary contexts, it may be found in the names of museums such as the German Museum of History in Berlin, whose permanent exhibit includes a collection of cannons, referred to as kanonnen. The term is also employed in popular culture, for example in German films or historical reenactments, where the authenticity of terminology is important for accurate portrayal.