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canonistic

canonistic

9.9
Relating to the rules that govern how the church works
  • adjective
  • /ˌkænəˈnɪstɪk/
  • Formal
translation icon : canónico
  • She wrote a detailed report on canonistic regulations affecting clergy conduct.

Examples

  • The professor explained how canonistic principles influence church governance.

  • Canonistic ingenuity and exaltation of papal power played a dominant part.

    Academic text (1993)

  • In the seminar, we studied the canonistic traditions that shape ecclesiastical law.

Synonyms

canonical
vscanonistic
4 8.1

Officially accepted as a true and important religious text

is about relating to church rules rather than indicating recognized authority
canonic
vscanonistic
  • Formal
9.2

Relating to church law or rules for priests and church life

is about being characteristic of church law rather than stating specific legal requirements

How Canonical

canonistic
  • Formal
9.9
canonical
4 7.9
juridical
  • Formal
2 8.7
customary
70 3.5
informal
98 3.1

Surface Forms

canonistic positive

Morphology

canonistic = canonist (semi-transparent) = canon + ist + ic

Formed from 'canonist' + '-ic'; the structure is regular but the meaning is domain-specific and 'canonist' is a relatively specialized base.

Etymology

Canonistic comes from canon, from an old Greek word kanon meaning 'rule' or 'measuring stick'. That's why canonistic is used for things that belong to church law and the rules that guide the church.