canonize

[kan-uh-nahyz] /ˈkæn əˌnaɪz/
verb (used with object), canonized, canonizing.
1.
Ecclesiastical. to place in the canon of saints.
2.
to glorify.
3.
to make canonical; place or include within a canon, especially of scriptural works:
They canonized the Song of Solomon after much controversy.
4.
to consider or treat as sacrosanct or holy:
They canonized his many verbal foibles and made them gospel.
5.
to sanction or approve authoritatively, especially ecclesiastically.
6.
Archaic. to deify.
Also, especially British, canonise.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English. See canon1, -ize
Related forms
canonization, noun
canonizer, noun
supercanonization, noun
uncanonization, noun
uncanonize, verb (used with object), uncanonized, uncanonizing.
Examples from the web for canonization
  • We hoped by this to achieve for her a kind of canonization.
  • No writer in his right mind would have wanted canonization to depend on us.
  • The process of canonization, the officials say, is long and arduous and can only be carried out by the church.
  • Discusses the concept of sainthood and the canonization process.
  • canonization the word canon etymologically means cane or reed.
  • The final step in the canonization process is awaiting a verified miracle.
British Dictionary definitions for canonization

canonize

/ˈkænəˌnaɪz/
verb (transitive)
1.
(RC Church) to declare (a person) to be a saint and thus admit to the canon of saints
2.
to regard as holy or as a saint
3.
to sanction by canon law; pronounce valid
Derived Forms
canonization, canonisation, noun
Word Origin and History for canonization
n.

late 14c., from Medieval Latin canonizationem (nominative canonizatio), noun of action from past participle stem of canonizare (see canonize).

canonize

v.

late 14c., "to place in the canon or calendar of saints," from Old French cannonisier and directly from Medieval Latin canonizare, from Late Latin canon "church rule" (see canon (n.1)). Related: Canonized; cannonizing.

canonization in Culture

canonization definition


Official enrollment of a dead person as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church.