canonical hour

1. (Ecclesiastical Terms) RC Church

a. one of the seven prayer times appointed for each day by canon law

b. the services prescribed for these times, namely matins, prime, terce, sext, nones, vespers, and compline

2. (Ecclesiastical Terms) Church of England any time between 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. at which marriages may lawfully be celebrated

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

canon′ical hour′

any of certain periods of the day set apart for prayer and devotion: these are matins and lauds, prime, tierce, sext, nones, vespers, and compline.

[1400–50]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

canonical hour - (Roman Catholic Church) one of seven specified times for prayer

Church of Rome, Roman Catholic Church, Roman Church, Western Church, Roman Catholic - the Christian Church based in the Vatican and presided over by a pope and an episcopal hierarchy

time of day, hour - clock time; "the hour is getting late"

matins, morning prayer - the first canonical hour; at daybreak

prime - the second canonical hour; about 6 a.m.

terce, tierce - the third canonical hour; about 9 a.m.

sext - the fourth of the seven canonical hours; about noon

nones - the fifth of the seven canonical hours; about 3 p.m.

evensong, vespers - the sixth of the seven canonical hours of the divine office; early evening; now often made a public service on Sundays

complin, compline - last of the seven canonical hours just before retiring

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

All day long, within the canonical hours, the door of Holchester House is perpetually opening to receive visitors.

View in context

The Wandering Jew image appears at the beginning of the section marking the canonical hour of Sext [Figure 3].

The time of the Wandering Jew in the Chronica Majora and the De Brailes Hours

In monasteries and convents, the first canonical hour ushers in all the following canonical hours, the liturgy of the mass, and all other daily activities, according to a schedule organized purposefully to ensure that the monks avoid all forms of idleness and their lives are totally oriented toward God.

The Brigata's overarching tale: rewriting the Christian Middle Ages

In addition to the psalms, devotional words such as the "Prayer of Thanksgiving" that opens each of the seven canonical hours of the Coptic daily office, including vespers, still me with their precision:

Evening's light: praying vespers immerses Christians in the never-ending cycle of sacred time

Forcades's first work in English is divided into six parts -- one for each of the five traditional canonical hours, from matins to vespers, plus compline, a final chapter on forgiveness and reconciliation.

Faith and Freedom

Anyone perusing the daily schedule is instantly aware that central to every twenty-four hours, because formative, are the seven canonical hours: Matins with Lauds, Prime, Tierce, Sext, Nones, Vespers, and Compline.

Silence, solitariness, and Gregorian chant

Kendrick's book, however, is not a general overview of Holy Week rituals, but rather a study that isolates a genre of Triduum music from roughly 1550-1750: the Canonical Hours of Matins and Lauds, which were performed as a combined service for the days of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday.

Singing Jeremiah: Music and Meaning in Holy Week

Maybe this presence is God: the collection is anchored by a crown of sonnets titled "Quarantine" that styles itself as a prayer arranged according to the canonical hours. But maybe it's an awareness of absence so great that it's perceived as presence.

The sensation of prayer: a review of Malachi Black's Storm Toward Morning

Vespers, or evening prayer, is the liturgy of the canonical hours. The word comes from the Greek [TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] (hespera) and the Latin vesper, meaning "evening." It opens with the singing or chanting of the words Deus, in adiutorium meum intende.

Sweet Saviour

All great Christian religious orders observe the Canonical Hours, during which they chant the Divine Office.

Don't let bigots hijack call to prayer on telly