What does canonisation mean?
Canonisation is the formal process by which the Roman Catholic Church declares a deceased person to be a saint, a solemn act reserved to the pope that follows years — sometimes centuries — of investigation into the candidate's life and miracles. The word derives from 'canon', meaning an official list or rule, and literally means adding a name to the canon, or authorised roll, of saints. Beyond its strictly religious use, canonisation has taken on a valuable figurative sense: the elevation of any person, book, idea, or tradition to a status of unquestioned authority or reverence. In this broader usage the word often carries a critical edge, suggesting that something has been enshrined as sacred without adequate examination — as when scholars speak of the canonisation of certain authors within a national literature. Formal in tone, the word appears most often in religious, historical, and academic writing. It is spelled 'canonisation' in British English and 'canonization' in American English.
nounThe act or process of officially declaring a deceased person to be a saint, especially by the pope in the Roman Catholic Church. More broadly, the treatment of a person, work, or idea as authoritative, sacred, or beyond criticism.
- The official act by which the pope declares a deceased person to be a saint, admitting them to the canon (official list) of saints.
- Figuratively, the elevation of a person, text, idea, or practice to an unquestioned, revered, or authoritative status.
"Mother Teresa's canonisation in 2016 drew hundreds of thousands of pilgrims to St Peter's Square."
"The canonisation of John Henry Newman took place in October 2019, more than a century after his death."
"Critics accused the literary establishment of the premature canonisation of a writer whose reputation had barely settled."
The plural is used mainly when referring to multiple ceremonies or historical instances of the act; the abstract sense is usually uncountable.
"The archives record dozens of canonisations carried out during the pontificate."
A single papal canonisation can take centuries of investigation — the Catholic Church has rejected more proposed saints than it has approved.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of canonisation
Canonisation comes from the verb 'canonise', formed from Late Latin 'canonizare', itself derived from Latin 'canon' meaning a rule, measure, or official list — a term borrowed ultimately from Greek 'kanōn' ('rod, rule'). In medieval Church Latin, to canonise meant formally to inscribe a name in the canon, the definitive list of recognised saints, a practice regularised by papal authority from around the twelfth century. English adopted both verb and noun in the early modern period, and the same root gives us related words such as 'canonical' and 'canon' in their musical, scriptural, and literary senses.
Related word forms
How canonisation is actually used
Formal register. The religious sense refers specifically to the final step of the Catholic Church's saint-making process, distinct from beatification; the figurative sense often carries a slightly critical tone, implying that something has been treated as unassailable without sufficient scrutiny. The spelling 'canonisation' is standard in British English; American English uses 'canonization'.
Easily confused with canonisation
'Canonisation' is the British spelling while 'canonization' is the American spelling; they mean exactly the same thing.
There is no such word — the confusion arises with 'cannon', but the word derives from 'canon' (a rule, list, or official decree), never from the weapon.