boilerplate vs canonical

boilerplate

adj
  • Describing text or other material of a standard or routine nature. 

  • Used to refer to a non-functional spacecraft used to test configuration and procedures. 

noun
  • A sheet of copper or steel used in the construction of a boiler. 

  • Syndicated material. 

  • The rating plate or nameplate required to be affixed to a boiler by the Boiler Explosions Act (1882). 

  • Standard text or program code used routinely and added with a text editor or word processor; text of a legal or official nature added to documents or labels. 

  • Hard, icy snow which may be dangerous to ski on. 

  • Formulaic or hackneyed language. 

  • A plate attached to industrial machinery, identifying information such as manufacturer, model number, serial number, and power requirements. 

verb
  • To store (standard text) so that it can easily be retrieved for reuse. 

canonical

adj
  • Stated or used in the most basic and straightforwardly applicable manner. 

  • In canonical form. 

  • Distinguished among entities of its kind, so that it can be picked out in a way that does not depend on any arbitrary choices. 

  • Part of canon (“the main continuity of a fictional universe”). 

  • Prototypical. 

  • In conformity with canon law. 

  • In the form of a canon. 

  • Of or pertaining to an ecclesiastical chapter 

  • Present in a canon, religious or otherwise. 

  • According to recognised or orthodox rules. 

noun
  • The formal robes of a priest. 

  • A URL presented in canonical form. 

How often have the words boilerplate and canonical occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )