-ə̇kəl, -ēk- adjective
Etymology: canonic (I) + -al
1.
a. : of, relating to, established by, or conforming to a canon
b. : of or relating to canon law
2. : like or conforming to a general rule : accorded wide acceptance : sanctioned, orthodox , authoritative
the canonical code of the party
the drinking of cocktails was as canonical a rite as the mixing — Sinclair Lewis
3. : belonging to or accepted as forming a canon
a canonical book
canonical scriptures
4. : of or relating to a clergyman (as a canon) or to an ecclesiastical chapter
a canonical house
5. : relating to various of the simplest and most significant forms or schemata to which general equations, statements, or expressions may be reduced without loss of generality : standard , basic
the canonical equations of dynamics
— compare normal form
• ca·non·i·cal·ly -k(ə)lē, -i adverb