SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

canonical form

noun

Definition of canonical form

:the simplest form of something; specifically :the form of a square matrix that has zero elements everywhere except along the principal diagonal

First Known Use of canonical form

1851

Seen and Heard

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WORD OF THE DAY

broadside

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a strongly worded attack

Words at Play

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'Meat Sweats': The Cookout's Worst Nightmare

They're real, but is meat the cause?

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'Diffuse' vs. 'Defuse'

Let us defuse the situation.

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Breathing Life Into 'Inspire'

The word's origins are quite literal

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Let's Talk 'Tea'

Spill it, sip it: just make it hot.

Ask the Editors

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Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

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Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

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Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

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Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

You're going to have to memorize the dictionary again.

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Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

No tricks, just difficult words.

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True or False?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

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Bee Cubed

Listen to the words and spell through all three levels.

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