canonical
     adj 1: appearing in a Biblical canon; "a canonical book of the
            Christian New Testament" [syn: {canonic}]
     2: of or relating to or required by canon law [syn: {canonic}]
     3: reduced to the simplest and most significant form possible
        without loss of generality; "a basic story line"; "a
        canonical syllable pattern" [syn: {basic}, {canonic}]
     4: conforming to orthodox or recognized rules; "the drinking of
        cocktails was as canonical a rite as the mixing"- Sinclair
        Lewis [syn: {canonic}, {sanctioned}]
Source: WordNet® 2.0

canonical adj. [very common; historically, `according to religious
   law'] The usual or standard state or manner of something. This word has
   a somewhat more technical meaning in mathematics. Two formulas such as 9
   + x and x + 9 are said to be equivalent because they mean the same
   thing, but the second one is in `canonical form' because it is written
   in the usual way, with the highest power of x first. Usually there are
   fixed rules you can use to decide whether something is in canonical
   form. The jargon meaning, a relaxation of the technical meaning,
   acquired its present loading in computer-science culture largely through
   its prominence in Alonzo Church's work in computation theory and
   mathematical logic (see {Knights of the Lambda Calculus}). Compare
   {vanilla}.

   Non-technical academics do not use the adjective `canonical' in any of
   the senses defined above with any regularity; they do however use the
   nouns `canon' and `canonicity' (not **canonicalness or **canonicality).
   The `canon' of a given author is the complete body of authentic works by
   that author (this usage is familiar to Sherlock Holmes fans as well as
   to literary scholars). `_The_ canon' is the body of works in a given
   field (e.g., works of literature, or of art, or of music) deemed
   worthwhile for students to study and for scholars to investigate.

   The word `canon' has an interesting history. It derives ultimately
   from the Greek `kanon' (akin to the English `cane') referring to a reed.
   Reeds were used for measurement, and in Latin and later Greek the word
   `canon' meant a rule or a standard. The establishment of a canon of
   scriptures within Christianity was meant to define a standard or a rule
   for the religion. The above non-techspeak academic usages stem from this
   instance of a defined and accepted body of work. Alongside this usage
   was the promulgation of `canons' (`rules') for the government of the
   Catholic Church. The techspeak usages ("according to religious law")
   derive from this use of the Latin `canon'.

   Hackers invest this term with a playfulness that makes an ironic
   contrast with its historical meaning. A true story: One Bob Sjoberg, new
   at the MIT AI Lab, expressed some annoyance at the incessant use of
   jargon. Over his loud objections, GLS and RMS made a point of using as
   much of it as possible in his presence, and eventually it began to sink
   in. Finally, in one conversation, he used the word `canonical' in
   jargon-like fashion without thinking. Steele: "Aha! We've finally got
   you talking jargon too!" Stallman: "What did he say?" Steele: "Bob just
   used `canonical' in the canonical way."

   Of course, canonicality depends on context, but it is implicitly
   defined as the way _hackers_ normally expect things to be. Thus, a
   hacker may claim with a straight face that `according to religious law'
   is _not_ the canonical meaning of `canonical'.


Source: The Jargon File