canonical

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /kəˈnɑnɪkəl/ UK /kəˈnɒnɪkəl/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
conforming to an accepted rule, standard, or authoritative body of texts

Scholars debated whether the letter belonged to the canonical scriptures.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · conforming to an accepted... authoritative standard orthodox accepted official sanctioned

Opposites

apocryphal heterodox unorthodoxnoncanonical

Word family

Derived forms canonicallycanonicality

Related forms canon canonic canonize

Etymology

From Late Latin canonicalis, from canonicus ('according to rule'), from Latin canōn ('rule'), from Ancient Greek kanōn ('measuring rod, standard').

canonicus Latin kanōn Ancient Greek

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# canonical

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /kəˈnɑnɪkəl/
**IPA (UK):** /kəˈnɒnɪkəl/

## Meanings
1. conforming to an accepted rule, standard, or authoritative body of texts

## Examples
- Scholars debated whether the letter belonged to the canonical scriptures.

## Synonyms
- authoritative
- standard
- orthodox
- accepted
- official
- sanctioned

## Antonyms
- apocryphal
- heterodox
- unorthodox
- noncanonical

## Derived Forms
- canonically
- canonicality

## Related Forms
- canon
- canonic
- canonize

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: canonicus
- Root: kanōn

## Etymology
From Late Latin canonicalis, from canonicus ('according to rule'), from Latin canōn ('rule'), from Ancient Greek kanōn ('measuring rod, standard').

## AI Etymology
Canonical is from Late Latin canonicalis, from canonicus ('according to rule'), from Latin canōn ('rule'), from Ancient Greek kanōn ('measuring rod, standard'). Important recorded forms include canonicus (Latin) and kanōn (Ancient Greek). The current sense covers conforming to an accepted rule, standard, or authoritative body of texts. The wider family includes derived forms such as canonically and canonicality and related words such as canon, canonic, and canonize.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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