'canonical' definitions:

Definition of 'canonical'

From: WordNet
adjective
Appearing in a biblical canon; "a canonical book of the Christian New Testament" [syn: canonic, canonical]
adjective
Of or relating to or required by canon law [syn: canonic, canonical]
adjective
Reduced to the simplest and most significant form possible without loss of generality; "a basic story line"; "a canonical syllable pattern" [syn: basic, canonic, canonical]
adjective
Conforming to orthodox or recognized rules; "the drinking of cocktails was as canonical a rite as the mixing"- Sinclair Lewis [syn: canonic, canonical, sanctioned]

Definition of 'canonical'

From: GCIDE
  • canonic \ca*non"ic\ (k[.a]*n[o^]n"[i^]k), canonical \ca*non"ic*al\ (k[.a]*n[o^]n"[i^]*kal), a. [L. canonicus, LL. canonicalis, fr. L. canon: cf. F. canonique. See canon.] Of or pertaining to a canon; established by, or according to, a canon or canons. "The oath of canonical obedience." --Hallam. [1913 Webster]
  • 2. Appearing in a Biblical canon; as, a canonical book of the Christian New Testament. [PJC]
  • 3. Accepted as authoritative; recognized. [PJC]
  • 4. (Math.) In its standard form, usually also the simplest form; -- of an equation or coordinate. [PJC]
  • 5. (Linguistics) Reduced to the simplest and most significant form possible without loss of generality; as, a canonical syllable pattern. Opposite of nonstandard.
  • Syn: standard. [WordNet 1.5]
  • 6. Pertaining to or resembling a musical canon. [PJC]
  • 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. [1913 Webster]

Synonyms of 'canonical'

From: Moby Thesaurus

Words containing 'canonical'