Definitions for "Canon law"
(Latest revision, 1983) The universal law of the Catholic Church that defines roles, relationships, and responsibilities. Canons 573 to 746 deal with religious* under the title "Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life."
the official body of laws for Catholics of the Roman, or Latin rite, contained in a work called the Code of Canon Law. The revised Code was promulgated in 1983.
The rules (canons or laws) which provide the norms for good order in the visible society of the Church. Those canons that apply universally are contained in the Codes of Canon Law. The most recent Code of Canon Law was promulgated in 1983 for the Latin (Western) Church and in 1991 for the Eastern Church (The Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches).