canonical hour

noun

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.

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Origin of canonical hour

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50

Words nearby canonical hour

Canonchet, Canon City, canoness, canonical, canonical age, canonical hour, canonicals, canonicate, canonicity, Canonicus, canonist
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for canonical hour

canonical hour

noun

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
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