typikós

Typikós is a Greek adjective meaning typical, standard, or customary. In Modern Greek it describes things that conform to a common pattern or expectation, as in phrases like typiká or typikós usages. The term derives from Greek typos (τύπος), meaning a form, imprint, or model, with the suffix -ikos that forms adjectives such as typikós.

In Byzantine and Eastern Christian contexts, the noun Typikon (Τύπικον or Τύπικον in Greek) is used for a rulebook or guide that prescribes the order of worship, the liturgical calendar, and the practices of fasting and feasts. The Typikon serves as a model or standard for how services should be conducted within a given jurisdiction, monastery, or church, and it often exists in local variants that adapt a general Byzantine framework to regional practice. The Athonite and other monastic typikons are among the best known examples, and many Orthodox communities maintain their own typikon alongside more general ecclesiastical texts.

Modern usage retains the core sense of the word: typikós means typical or standard in everyday Greek, while Typikon (often capitalized) refers to the specific liturgical manual used in Byzantine and post-Byzantine Christianity. The term’s semantic field thus spans ordinary language, where it denotes conformity to a pattern, and specialized religious literature, where it denotes a canonical guide for worship and practice.