protocanonical
|pro-to-can-on-i-cal|
🇺🇸
/ˌproʊtəˈkænɪkəl/
🇬🇧
/ˌprəʊtəˈkɒnɪkəl/
belonging to the earliest canon
Etymology
'protocanonical' originates from Modern Latin 'protocanonicus', itself formed from Greek 'protos' meaning 'first' and Late Latin/Medieval Latin 'canonicus' from Greek 'kanon' meaning 'rule' or 'standard'.
'protocanonical' was formed in ecclesiastical Latin as 'protocanonicus' (Medieval Latin) combining 'proto-' + 'canonicus', then borrowed into English in the modern period as 'protocanonical'.
Initially it meant 'first or earliest in the list of canonical writings', and over time it has come to mean broadly 'belonging to or characteristic of the earliest canon' (including occasional non-religious, figurative uses).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
belonging to or denoting the earliest list of works accepted as canonical (especially writings regarded as part of an early biblical canon).
Scholars debated which books were protocanonical in the early formation of the Old Testament.
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Adjective 2
characteristic of or relating to materials or decisions that were accepted as authoritative from an early stage (used figuratively outside strictly religious contexts).
The committee gave protocanonical weight to certain precedents when drafting the policy.
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Last updated: 2025/09/24 15:39