canvas en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
Etymology
From Middle English canevas, from Anglo-Norman, from Old Northern French canevas (compare Old French chanevas, chenevas) from a root derived from Latin cannabis, from Ancient Greek κάνναβις (kánnabis). Compare French canevas, resulting from a blend of the Old French and a Picard dialect word, itself from Old Northern French. Doublet of cannabis and hemp.
Meanings
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A type of coarse cloth, woven from hemp (traditionally) or from cotton and polyesters, useful for making sails, tents, and overcoats or as a surface for paintings.
The term canvas is 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.
1882, James Edwin Thorold Rogers, A History of Agriculture and Prices in England, volume 4, page 556:
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(qualifier:painting) A piece of such cloth stretched across a frame on which one may paint an artwork.
Light, rich as that which glows on the canvas of Claude.
1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter XIII, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC:A local doctor had bought one canvas and but for that lucky chance he would have been out of pocket.
1938, Norman Lindsay, Age of Consent, 1st Australian edition, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, published 1962, →OCLC, page 17:She is painting a moonlight scene on the canvas.
- A mesh of loosely woven cotton strands or molded plastic to be decorated with needlepoint, cross-stitch, rug hooking, or other crafts.
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(figuratively) A basis for creative work.
The author takes rural midwestern life as a canvas for a series of tightly woven character studies
- A region on which graphics can be rendered.
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Sails in general.
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 much canvass; 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.
1785 August, Benjamin Franklin, “On Improvements in Navigation”, in Jared Sparks, editor, Memoirs of the Life and Writings of Benjamin Franklin, […], volume III, London: […] [Abraham John Valpy] for Henry Colburn, […], published 1818, →OCLC, part IV (Philosophical Subjects), page 525:
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A tent.
He spent the night under canvas.
- A rough draft or model of a song, air, or other literary or musical composition; especially one to show a poet the measure of the verses he is to make.
- (Nigeria) Athletic shoes.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| canvasses | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| canvases | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| canvass | alternative | lexicographic |
Coordinates
duck · duckcloth · sailduck · sailcloth · pilot cloth · burlap · hessian
Deriveds
canvasless · canvasful · blank canvas · canvasman · canvasboard · noncanvas · canvaswork · under canvas · value proposition canvas · canvaslike · canvassy · on the canvas · Java canvas · canvasback · empty canvas · new canvas · Canvastown
Hypernyms
fabric · stuff · textile · cloth · matter · material
Translations (115)
mk платно (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · sk plátno (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · it tela (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · ja 帆布 (type of coarse cloth) · hu kanavász (type of coarse cloth) · cmn 畫布 /画布 (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · pt lona (type of coarse cloth) · bg платни́ще (type of coarse cloth) · ms kanvas (type of coarse cloth) · gl cotonía (type of coarse cloth) · ja ズック (type of coarse cloth) · mk мушама (type of coarse cloth) · de Leinwand (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · da lærred (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · be палатно́ (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · nb lerret (type of coarse cloth) · es lona (type of coarse cloth) · af seil (type of coarse cloth) · da sejldug (type of coarse cloth) · ca llenç (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · el καμβάς (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · eo kanvaso (type of coarse cloth) · nn lerret (type of coarse cloth) · af skilderdoek (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · ro canava (type of coarse cloth) · tr kanvas (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · cs plátno (type of coarse cloth) · ga anairt (type of coarse cloth) · bg платно́ за рису́ване (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · hy պարուսին (type of coarse cloth) · hu vitorlavászon (type of coarse cloth) · mi kānawehi (type of coarse cloth) · cmn 帆布 (type of coarse cloth) · pl płótno (type of coarse cloth) · tl lona (type of coarse cloth) · pt tela (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · ko 타프 (type of coarse cloth) · es brabante (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · fr toile (type of coarse cloth) · sh платно (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · de Canvas (type of coarse cloth) · fi kanvaasi (type of coarse cloth) · af seildoek (type of coarse cloth) · nl schilderslinnen (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · bg брезе́нт (type of coarse cloth) · ca canemàs (type of coarse cloth) · el λινάτσα (type of coarse cloth) · pl płótno (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · hy կտավ (type of coarse cloth) · ru брезе́нт (type of coarse cloth) · ru холст (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · cs plátno (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · ca lona (type of coarse cloth) · fr canevas (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · tr tuval (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · it tela (type of coarse cloth) · gl lenzo (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · ga canbhás (type of coarse cloth) · nl doek (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · ru холст (type of coarse cloth) · sh platno (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · fi purjekangas (type of coarse cloth) · th ผ้าใบ (type of coarse cloth) · fi kanvaasi (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · th แคนวาส (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · de Segeltuch (type of coarse cloth) · ja キャンバス (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · he קַנְבָס (type of coarse cloth) · el καναβάτσο (type of coarse cloth) · ko 화폭 (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · fi kanvasti (type of coarse cloth) · hy կտավ (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · ja 画布 (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · kk кенеп (type of coarse cloth) · it canovaccio (type of coarse cloth) · nn lerret (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · ru паруси́на (type of coarse cloth) · nl linnen (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · dsb płotno (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · uk полотно́ (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · bg платно́ (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · ko 범포 (type of coarse cloth) · nl canvas (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · vi can-vát (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · nv níbaal (type of coarse cloth) · gl gondel (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · lt drobė (type of coarse cloth) · nl canvas (type of coarse cloth) · el μουσαμάς (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · da lærred (type of coarse cloth) · fr toile (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · hu vászon (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · nb lerret (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · hy քաթան (type of coarse cloth) · es tela (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · sv segelduk (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · de Leinen (type of coarse cloth) · sv segel (type of coarse cloth) · dsb płotno (type of coarse cloth) · fur tele (type of coarse cloth) · ca tela (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · ru полотно́ (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · ko 캔버스 (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · el καραβόπανο (type of coarse cloth) · ro pânză (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · ja カンバス (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · yue 帆布 (type of coarse cloth) · sl platno (type of coarse cloth) · eo tolo (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · es lienzo (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · fi telttakangas (type of coarse cloth) · sl platno (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · ca canemàs (piece of canvas cloth on which one may paint) · gl treu (type of coarse cloth) · ja キャンバス (type of coarse cloth)