canonicalist
|ca-non-i-cal-ist|
🇺🇸
/kəˈnɑnɪkəlɪst/
🇬🇧
/kəˈnɒnɪkəlɪst/
follower/advocate of the canon or rules
Etymology
'canonicalist' originates from English, specifically the adjective 'canonical' + the agent-forming suffix '-ist', where 'canonical' ultimately comes from Late Latin 'canonicus' (from Greek 'kanonikos') and 'kanon' meant 'rule' or 'measuring-rod', and the suffix '-ist' denotes 'one who advocates or practices'.
'canonical' passed into English via Late Latin 'canonicus' and Old French (e.g. 'canonique'), becoming Middle English 'canonical'; the modern noun 'canonicalist' was formed in English by adding the suffix '-ist' to the adjective 'canonical'.
Initially, the root sense concerned 'a rule or standard' (from Greek 'kanon'); over time it evolved into terms meaning 'pertaining to rules/standards' and then to 'a person who upholds or enforces those rules/standards', as reflected in 'canonicalist'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a person who advocates strict adherence to canonical rules, especially canon law or established ecclesiastical regulations.
The canonicalist argued that the disputed marriage must be judged according to canon law.
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Noun 2
someone who defends or privileges a recognized canon of works, texts, or practices (e.g., in literature, art, or scholarship).
As a canonicalist in literary criticism, she preferred focusing on the established classics rather than new experimental writers.
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Last updated: 2025/12/10 07:57