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canonical hour

American  

noun

  1. Ecclesiastical. any of certain periods of the day set apart for prayer and devotion: these are matins and lauds, prime, tierce, sext, nones, vespers, and compline.

canonical hour British  

noun

  1. RC Church

    1. one of the seven prayer times appointed for each day by canon law

    2. the services prescribed for these times, namely matins, prime, terce, sext, nones, vespers, and compline

  2. Church of England any time between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. at which marriages may lawfully be celebrated

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of canonical hour

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.