Canonical
Etymology
From Greek "kanōn," "rule, measuring rod, standard." In the early church the canon was the authoritative list of scripture and the body of accepted rules. From that religious sense of an official, ruling standard the word broadened to any text, form, or method treated as the recognized authority.
adjective · /kuh-NON-ih-kul/
Accepted as authoritative, standard, or officially part of a body of work.
What it names
Use it for the version or text that counts as the definitive one — the canonical edition, the canonical account — as opposed to variants, spin-offs, or the merely popular.
Example
Fans argued for hours over whether the tie-in novels were canonical or just licensed fiction.
Related idea
Contrast seminal: a seminal work matters for what it started, while a canonical one matters for the authority the field or tradition now grants it.