canonicalize
|can-on-i-cal-ize|
🇺🇸
/kəˈnænəˌlaɪz/
🇬🇧
/kəˈnɒnɪkəlaɪz/
make into a standard form
Etymology
'canonicalize' originates in modern English as a verb formed from the adjective 'canonical' plus the verb-forming suffix '-ize'; 'canonical' comes ultimately from Greek 'kanonikos' via Latin 'canonicus', where the root 'kanon/canon' meant 'rule' or 'measuring rod'.
'kanonikos' (Greek) → 'canonicus' (Late Latin) → 'canonical' (Middle English/Modern English); the verb 'canonicalize' was formed in modern English by adding the productive suffix '-ize' to 'canonical'.
Initially related to 'pertaining to a rule or standard' (as in church canons or rules); it evolved into the action sense 'to make conform to a rule or standard,' including technical senses like converting to a standard form.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Verb 1
to make or declare something canonical — i.e., to treat it as conforming to a rule, standard, or recognized form.
Scholars often canonicalize texts to determine an authoritative version.
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Verb 2
(Computing, data processing) To convert data, identifiers, or expressions into a canonical (standardized) form so they can be compared, stored, or processed consistently.
Before indexing, the system canonicalize URLs to avoid duplicates.
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Last updated: 2026/01/13 00:28