Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
canonical
{
ca-non′ic
(kȧ-nŏn′ĭk)
, ca-non′ic-al
(kȧ-nŏn′ĭ-kal)
, } Adj.
Of or pertaining to a canon; established by, or according to, a canon or canons.
“The oath of canonical obedience.” Hallam.
Canonical books
, or Canonical Scriptures
those books which are declared by the canons of the church to be of divine inspiration; – called collectively
– the canon
. The Roman Catholic Church holds as canonical several books which Protestants reject as apocryphal. Canonical epistles
, an appellation given to the epistles called also general or catholic. See
– Catholic epistles
, under Canholic
. Canonical form
(Math.)
, the simples or most symmetrical form to which all functions of the same class can be reduced without lose of generality.
– Canonical hours
, certain stated times of the day, fixed by ecclesiastical laws, and appropriated to the offices of prayer and devotion; also, certain portions of the Breviary, to be used at stated hours of the day. In England, this name is also given to the hours from 8
– a. m.
to 3 p. m.
(formerly 8 a. m.
to 12 m.
) before and after which marriage can not be legally performed in any parish church. Canonical letters
, letters of several kinds, formerly given by a bishop to traveling clergymen or laymen, to show that they were entitled to receive the communion, and to distinguish them from heretics.
– Canonical life
, the method or rule of living prescribed by the ancient clergy who lived in community; a course of living prescribed for the clergy, less rigid than the monastic, and more restrained that the secular.
– Canonical obedience
, submission to the canons of a church, especially the submission of the inferior clergy to their bishops, and of other religious orders to their superiors.
– Canonical punishments
, such as the church may inflict, as excommunication, degradation, penance, etc.
– Canonical sins
(Anc. Church.)
, those for which capital punishment or public penance decreed by the canon was inflicted, as idolatry, murder, adultery, heresy.
Webster 1828 Edition
Canonical
CANONICAL
,Adj.
Canonical books or canonical scriptures, are those books of the scriptures which are admitted by the canons of the church, to be of divine origin. The Roman catholic church admits the Apocryphal books to be canonical; the Protestants reject them.
Canonical hours, are certain stated times of the day, fixed by the ecclesiastical laws, or appropriated to the offices of prayer and devotion. In Great Britain, these hours are from eight oclock to twelve in the forenoon, before and after which marriage cannot be legally performed in the church.
Canonical obedience, is submission to the canons of a church, especially the submission of the inferior clergy to their bishops, and other religious orders to their superiors.
Canonical punishments, are such as the church may inflict, as excommunication, degradation, penance, &c.
Canonical life, is the method or rule of living prescribed by the ancient clergy who lived in community, a course of living prescribed for clerks, less rigid than the monastic and more restrained than the secular.
Canonical sins, in the ancient church, were those for which capital punishment was inflicted; as idolatry, murder, adultery, heresy, &c.
Canonical letters, anciently, were letters which passed between the orthodox clergy, as testimonials of their faith, to keep up the catholic communion, and to distinguish them from heretics.
Canonical epistles, is an appellation given to those epistles of the New Testament which are called general or catholic.
Definition 2024
canonical
canonical
English
Adjective
canonical (comparative more canonical, superlative most canonical)
- Present in a canon, religious or otherwise.
- The Gospel of Luke is a canonical New Testament book.
- According to recognised or orthodox rules.
- The men played golf in the most canonical way, with no local rules.
- Stated or used in the most basic and straightforwardly applicable manner.
- the reduction of a linear substitution to its canonical form
- Prototypical.
- (religion) In conformity with canon law.
- (music) In the form of a canon.
- (religion) Of or pertaining to an ecclesiastical chapter
- (mathematics, computing) In canonical form.
- (mathematics) Distinguished among entities of its kind, so that it can be picked out in a way that does not depend on any arbitrary choices.
Synonyms
- (mathematics): natural
Antonyms
- (scripture): apocryphal
Derived terms
Translations
Present in a canon, religious or otherwise
According to recognised or orthodox rules
Stated or used in the most basic and straightforwardly applicable manner
Prototypical — see prototypical
(religion) In conformity with canon law
(music) In the form of a canon
in canonical form
Noun
canonical (plural canonicals)
- (Roman Catholicism) The formal robes of a priest
- 1915, H. G. Wells, The Research Magnificent:
- When I was a boy I was a passionate atheist, I defied God, and so far as God is the mere sanction of social traditions and pressures, a mere dressing up of the crowd's will in canonicals, I do still deny him and repudiate him.
- 1891, Emily Sarah Holt, The White Lady of Hazelwood:
- Mr Altham rose, as in duty bound, in honour to a priest, and a priest who, as he dimly discerned by his canonicals, was not altogether a common one.