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definitions

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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Nearby words

  1. canon law,
  2. canonchet,
  3. canoness,
  4. canonical,
  5. canonical age,
  6. canonically,
  7. canonicals,
  8. canonicate,
  9. canonicity,
  10. canonicus

Origin of canonical hour

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
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