canvas

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English

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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FromMiddle Englishcanevas,fromAnglo-Norman,fromOld Northern Frenchcanevas(compareOld Frenchchanevas,chenevas) from a root derived fromLatincannabis,fromAncient Greekκάνναβις(kánnabis).CompareFrenchcanevas,resulting from a blend of the Old French and a Picard dialect word, itself from Old Northern French.Doubletofcannabisandhemp.

Noun

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canvas(pluralcanvasesorcanvasses)(see usage notes)

  1. A type ofcoarsecloth,wovenfromhemp,useful for makingsailsandtentsor as a surface forpaintings.
    • 1882,James Edwin Thorold Rogers,A History of Agriculture and Prices in England,volume 4, page556:
      The termcanvasis very widely used, as well to denote the coarse fabrics employed for kitchen use, as for strainers, and wraps for meat, as for the best quality of ordinary table and shirting linen.
  2. (painting)
    1. A piece of canvas cloth stretched across a frame on which one may paint.
    2. Apainting,or a picture on canvas.
  3. Ameshof loosely woven cotton strands or molded plastic to be decorated withneedlepoint,cross-stitch,rug hooking,or other crafts.
  4. (figuratively)A basis for creative work.
    The author takes rural midwestern life as acanvasfor a series of tightly woven character studies
  5. (computer graphics)Aregionon whichgraphicscan berendered.
  6. (nautical)Sailsin general.
    • 1785August,Benjamin Franklin,“On Improvements in Navigation”, inJared Sparks,editor,Memoirs of the Life and Writings of Benjamin Franklin,[…],volume III, London:[…][Abraham John Valpy] forHenry Colburn,[…],published1818,→OCLC,part IV (Philosophical Subjects),page525:
      The double desire of being able to overtake a weaker flying enemy, or to escape when pursued by a stronger, has induced the owners to overmast their cruisers, and to spread too muchcanvass;and the great number of men, many of them not seamen, who being upon deck when a ship heels suddenly are huddled down to leeward, and increase by their weight the effect of the wind.
  7. Atent.
    He spent the night undercanvas.
  8. A roughdraftor model of a song,air,or other literary or musicalcomposition;especially one to show a poet themeasureof the verses he is to make.
  9. (Nigeria)Athletic shoes.
Usage notes
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The pluralcanvasesis used in the US, while the pluralcanvassesis sometimes incorrectly used in the UK and some UK-influenced areas. All major British dictionaries (Oxford, Cambridge, Collins and Chambers) agree that ‘canvases’ is the correct form.

Alternative forms
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Derived terms
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Translations
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Verb

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canvas(third-person singular simple presentcanvases,present participlecanvasing,simple past and past participlecanvased)

  1. (transitive)Tocover(anareaorobject) withcanvas.
Derived terms
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Translations
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Etymology 2

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A variant ofcanvass.

Verb

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canvas(third-person singular simple presentcanvases,present participlecanvasing,simple past and past participlecanvased)

  1. Obsoletespelling ofcanvass.[16th–18th c.]
    • 1567,Ovid,“The First Booke”, inArthur Golding,transl.,The XV. Bookes of P. Ouidius Naso, Entytuled Metamorphosis,[…],London:[…]Willyam Seres[…],→OCLC,folio 7, recto:
      And with the aunſwere here vpon eftſoones in hand they go, / The doubtfull wordes wherof they ſcan andcanuasto and fro.
    • 1577,Raphaell Holinshed,“Queene Elizabeth”,inThe Laste Volume of the Chronicles of England, Scotlande, and Irelande[…],volume II, London:[…]for Iohn Hunne,→OCLC,pages1844–1845:
      But nowe the Meſſenger that was thus ſent to the Lorde Hume [Alexander Home, 5th Lord Home], comming to him declared in what caſe hys houſe and people ſtoode, who beeing (as was ſuppoſed) not ſo farre off, but that he might heare howe luſtily the Engliſhe Canons didcanuasand batter his Humiſhe Caſtell Walles, did nowe agree to meete the Marshall maiſter Drurie [William Drury] two myles diſtant from the ſayde Caſtell, and there to common further with him in that matter.
    • 1591(date written),William Shakespeare,“The First Part of Henry the Sixt”,inMr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies[…](First Folio), London:[…]Isaac Iaggard,andEd[ward]Blount,published1623,→OCLC,[Act I, scene iii],page99,column 1:
      Thou that giu'ſt VVhores Indulgences to ſinne, / Ilecanuasthee in thy broad Cardinalls Hat, / If thou proceed in this thy inſolence.
    • a.1661(date written),H[enry] Hammond,“Sect IV. Of the Holy Catholick Church.”, inA Practical Catechism[…],7th edition, London:[…]J. F. forR[ichard]Royston,[…],published1662,→OCLC,book V,page354:
      [T]he nature of man, created after the Image of God, I mean, his Reaſonable nature, hath ſuch an agreement and liking to all that is ſubſtantially and really good, (ſuch are all the Commands of the Natural and Chriſtian Law) that it ſtillcanvaſethon that ſide, and ſolicites the will to embrace the good, and prefer it before the pleaſurable evil;[…]
    • 1691,[Anthony Wood], “WILLIAM LENTHALL”,inAthenæ Oxonienses. An Exact History of All the Writers and Bishops who have had Their Education in the Most Ancient and Famous University of Oxford from the Fifteenth Year of KingHenry the Seventh,Dom. 1500, to the End of the Year 1690.[…],volume II (Completing the Whole Work), London:[…]Tho[mas]Bennet[…],→OCLC,column204:
      [H]e endeavoured by his Agents to be choſe a Burgeſs for the Univerſity ofOxon,to ſerve in that Parliament vvhich began atVVeſtm[inster] 25Apr.1660, as at one or tvvo places beſides, vvhere he hadcanvas'dfor votes;[…]

Noun

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canvas(pluralcanvases)

  1. Obsoletespelling ofcanvass.[17th–18th c.]
    • 1611,Joseph Hall,“Epistle IIII. To My Lady Honoria Hay. Discoursing of the Necessity of Baptisme; and the Estate of Those which Necessarily Want It.”, inEpistles[…],volume III, London:[…][William StansbyandWilliam Jaggard] for Samuell Macham,[…],→OCLC,5th decade,pages54–55:
      […]I haue learned this faſhion of St.Hieromethe Oracle of Antiquitie, vvho vvas vvont to entertaine hisPaula,andEuſtochium,Marcella,Principia,Hedibia,and other deuout Ladies, vvith learnedcanuaſesof the deep pointes of Diuinity.
    • 1624,Democritus Junior [pseudonym;Robert Burton], “Concupiscible Appetite, as Desires, Ambitions, Causes”, inThe Anatomy of Melancholy:[…],2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire:[…]John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps,→OCLC,partition 1, section 2, member 3, subsection 11,page100:
      It is a wonder to ſee how ſlauiſhly theſe kinde of [ambitious] men will ſubiect themſelues, vvhen they are about acanvas,to euery inferiour perſon, vvhat paines they vvill take, runne, ride, caſt, plot & countermine, proteſt & ſvveare, vow, promiſe, vvhat labours vndergoe, earely vp, dovvne late;[…]
    • 1624,Democritus Junior [pseudonym;Robert Burton], “Against Repulse, Abuses, Iniuries, Contempts, Disgraces, Contumelies, Slanders, Scoffes, &c.”, inThe Anatomy of Melancholy:[…],2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire:[…]John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps,→OCLC,partition 2, section 3, member 7,page287:
      But vvhy ſhouldſt thou take thyCanvasſo to heart? It may bee thou art not fit. But as a childe that vveares his fathers ſhooes, hat, headpeece, breſtplate, or breeches; or holds his ſpeare, but is nether able to vveild the one, or vveare the other; ſo vvouldſt thou doe by ſuch an office or Magiſtracy, thou art vnfit.
    • 1626(first performance; published1652),James Shirley,“The Brothers”,inWilliam GiffordandAlexander Dyce,editors,The Dramatic Works and Poems of James Shirley,[…],volume I, London:John Murray,[…],published1833,→OCLC,Act I, scene i,page206:
      And now I'll tell thee, I have promis'd him / As much as marriage comes to, and I lose / My honour, if my don receive thecanvas.
    • 1790November,Edmund Burke,Reflections on the Revolution in France, and on the Proceedings in Certain Societies in London Relative to that Event.[…],London:[…]J[ames]Dodsley,[…],→OCLC,page219:
      I know well enough that the biſhoprics and cures, under kingly and ſeignoral patronage, as now they are in England, and as they have been lately in France, are ſometimes acquired by unworthy methods; but the other mode of eccleſiaſticalcanvasſubjects them infinitely more ſurely and more generally to all the evil arts of low ambition, which, operating on and through greater numbers, will produce miſchief in proportion.

Dutch

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Etymology

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FromMiddle Dutchcanevas,fromOld Northern Frenchcanevas,fromLatincannabis,fromAncient Greekκάνναβις(kánnabis).The spelling was lated influenced byEnglishcanvas.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key):/ˈkɑn.vɑs/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Hyphenation:can‧vas

Noun

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canvasn(pluralcanvassen)

  1. canvas,sail
    Synonym:zeildoek
  2. canvas,fabricused forpainting
    Synonym:schilderdoek
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Descendants

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  • →Indonesian:kampas,kanvas

Portuguese

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Etymology

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Borrowed fromEnglishcanvas.Doubletofcânhamo,cânave,cânabis,andcanábis.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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canvasm(invariable)

  1. (graphical user interface)canvas(area on which graphics are rendered)
  2. (business)business model canvas

Spanish

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Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key):/ˈkambas/[ˈkãm.bas]
  • Rhymes:-ambas
  • Syllabification:can‧vas

Noun

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canvasm

  1. canvas
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