canonical hour

noun

1
: a time of day canonically appointed for an office of devotion
2
: one of the daily offices of devotion that compose the Divine Office and include matins with lauds, prime, terce, sext, none, vespers, and compline

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of canonical hour was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near canonical hour

Cite this Entry

“Canonical hour.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/canonical%20hour. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!