n. [ OE. canon, canoun, AS. canon rule (cf. F. canon, LL. canon, and, for sense 7, F. chanoine, LL. canonicus), fr. L. canon a measuring line, rule, model, fr. Gr. kanw`n rule, rod, fr. ka`nh, ka`nnh, reed. See Cane, and cf. Canonical. ] 1. A law or rule. [ 1913 Webster ]

Or that the Everlasting had not fixed
His canon 'gainst self-slaughter. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Eccl.) A law, or rule of doctrine or discipline, enacted by a council and confirmed by the pope or the sovereign; a decision, regulation, code, or constitution made by ecclesiastical authority. [ 1913 Webster ]

Various canons which were made in councils held in the second centry. Hook. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. The collection of books received as genuine Holy Scriptures, called the sacred canon, or general rule of moral and religious duty, given by inspiration; the Bible; also, any one of the canonical Scriptures. See Canonical books, under Canonical, a. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. In monasteries, a book containing the rules of a religious order. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. A catalogue of saints acknowledged and canonized in the Roman Catholic Church. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. A member of a cathedral chapter; a person who possesses a prebend in a cathedral or collegiate church. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. (Mus.) A musical composition in which the voices begin one after another, at regular intervals, successively taking up the same subject. It either winds up with a coda (tailpiece), or, as each voice finishes, commences anew, thus forming a perpetual fugue or round. It is the strictest form of imitation. See Imitation. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. (Print.) The largest size of type having a specific name; -- so called from having been used for printing the canons of the church. [ 1913 Webster ]

9. The part of a bell by which it is suspended; -- called also ear and shank. [ See Illust. of Bell. ] Knight. [ 1913 Webster ]

10. (Billiards) See Carom. [ 1913 Webster ]

Apostolical canons. See under Apostolical. --
Augustinian canons,
Black canons. See under Augustinian. --
Canon capitular,
Canon residentiary, a resident member of a cathedral chapter (during a part or the whole of the year). --
Canon law. See under Law. --
Canon of the Mass (R. C. Ch.), that part of the mass, following the Sanctus, which never changes. --
Honorary canon, a canon{ 6 } who neither lived in a monastery, nor kept the canonical hours. --
Minor canon (Ch. of Eng.), one who has been admitted to a chapter, but has not yet received a prebend. --
Regular canon (R. C. Ch.), one who lived in a conventual community and followed the rule of St. Austin; a Black canon. --
Secular canon (R. C. Ch.), one who did not live in a monastery, but kept the hours. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ F. canon, fr. L. canon a rule. ] That part of a bit which is put in a horse's mouth. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ F. canon, fr. L. canon a rule. See canon. ] (Anat.) The shank bone, or great bone above the fetlock, in the fore and hind legs of the horse and allied animals, corresponding to the middle metacarpal or metatarsal bone of most mammals. See Horse. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ Amer. Sp. dim. See cañon. ] [ Southwestern U. S. ] 1. A small cañon. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

2. A narrow passage or lane through chaparral or a forest. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ Cf. LL. canonissa. ] A woman who holds a canonry in a conventual chapter. [ 1913 Webster ]

Regular canoness, one bound by the vow of poverty, and observing a strict rule of life. --
Secular canoness, one allowed to hold private property, and bound only by vows of chastity and obedience so long as she chose to remain in the chapter. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } 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 ]

adv. In a canonical manner; according to the canons. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being canonical; canonicity. Bp. Burnet. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. pl. The dress prescribed by canon{ 2 } to be worn by a clergyman when officiating. Sometimes, any distinctive professional dress. [ 1913 Webster ]

Full canonicals, the complete costume of an officiating clergyman or ecclesiastic.

n. [ LL. canonucatus canonical: cf. F. canonicat. ] The office of a canon; a canonry. [ 1913 Webster ]