canvas

Meanings

Noun

• A type of coarse cloth, woven from hemp, useful for making sails and tents or as a surface for paintings.
• A piece of canvas cloth stretched across a frame on which one may paint.
• A mesh of loosely woven cotton strands or molded plastic to be decorated with needlepoint, cross-stitch, rug hooking, or other crafts.
• A basis for creative work.
• A region on which graphics can be rendered.
• Sails in general.
• A tent.
• A painting, or a picture on 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.
• Alternate spelling of canvass.

Verb

• To cover an area or object with canvas.
• Alternate spelling of canvass.

Origin

• 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. Compare French canevas, resulting from a blend of the Old French and a Picard dialect word, itself from Old Northern French. cannabis, and hemp.