canvas
//ˈkæn.vəs//
Forms
- Plural
- canvases
- present (v1)
- canvas
- past (v2)
- canvased
- past participle (v3)
- canvased
- present participle
- canvasing
- 3rd person singular
- canvases
Definitions
1.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.
2.A piece of such cloth stretched across a frame on which one may paint an artwork.
- She is painting a moonlight scene on the canvas.
- Light, rich as that which glows on the canvas of Claude.
- A local doctor had bought one canvas and but for that lucky chance he would have been out of pocket.
3.A mesh of loosely woven cotton strands or molded plastic to be decorated with needlepoint, cross-stitch, rug hooking, or other crafts.
4.A basis for creative work.
1.To cover (an area or object) with canvas.
Frequency
Overall
Rare· #4862
By learning goal
- Everyday conversation
- Rare
- General reading & writing
- Rare
- Academic
- Rare
- Literature
- Rare
Related words
Word family
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).