canonical dress
Preserved but no longer current.
The distinctive or appro- priate costume worn by the clergy according to the direction of the canon. Bishops, deans, and archdeacons, for instance, wear canonical hats. This distinctive dress is sometimes called simply "canonicals"; Macaulay speaks of "an ecclesiastic in full canonicals." The same name is given also to the special robes of other professions, and to special parts of such robes, such as the pouch on the gown of an M.D.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “canonical dress” mean?
The distinctive or appro- priate costume worn by the clergy according to the direction of the canon. Bishops, deans, and archdeacons, for instance, wear canonical hats. This distinctive dress is sometimes called simply "canonicals"; Macaulay speaks of "an ecclesiastic in full canonicals." The same name is given also to the special robes of other professions, and to special parts of such robes, such as the pouch on the gown of an M.D.
Is “canonical dress” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.