canvas

American  

[kan-vuhs] / ˈkæn vəs /

noun

1. a closely woven, heavy cloth of cotton, hemp, or linen, used for tents, sails, etc.

2. a piece of this or similar material on which a painting is made.

3. a painting on canvas.

4. a tent, or tents collectively.

5. sailcloth.

6. sails collectively.

7. any fabric of linen, cotton, or hemp of a coarse loose weave used as a foundation for embroidery stitches, interlining, etc.

8. the floor of a boxing ring traditionally consisting of a canvas covering stretched over a mat.

---

Trademark, Digital Technology.

1. Canvas, the brand name for an open-source learning management system, launched in 2011.

idioms

1. under canvas,

   1. Nautical.  with set sails.

   2. in tents; in the field.

      the troops under canvas.

canvas British  

/ ˈkænvəs /

noun

1. 1. a heavy durable cloth made of cotton, hemp, or jute, used for sails, tents, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      a canvas bag

2. 1. a piece of canvas or a similar material on which a painting is done, usually in oils

   2. a painting on this material, esp in oils

3. a tent or tents collectively

4. nautical any cloth of which sails are made

5. nautical the sails of a vessel collectively

6. any coarse loosely woven cloth on which embroidery, tapestry, etc, is done

7. the floor of a boxing or wrestling ring

8. rowing the tapering covered part at either end of a racing boat, sometimes referred to as a unit of length

   to win by a canvas

9. 1. in tents

   2. nautical with sails unfurled

---

Other Word Forms

• canvaslike adjective

Etymology

Origin of canvas

First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English canevas, from Anglo-French, Old North French, from unattested Vulgar Latin cannabāceus (noun use of adjective), equivalent to Latin cannab(is) + -āceus; hemp, -aceous

Example Sentences

"Two Sons is both of us on the canvas, exactly as we are," Muir added.

From BBC

While police are investigating whether mesh netting, plastic and canvas sheets used during renovations met fire safety standards, some experts believe the bamboo scaffolding connecting the apartment blocks helped fuel the inferno.

From BBC

Officials found flammable materials that may have accelerated the fire, including styrofoam used to seal windows, protective netting, canvas and plastic sheets.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Because the state is young and its cities and institutions are not bound by the weight of tradition,” he wrote in 2002, “like an unfinished canvas, Arizona still epitomizes the frontier.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Pascal Perrin, an art historian and Renoir expert, lauded the "exceptional condition of the work, which has undergone no restoration" while presenting the canvas.

From Barron's

Related Words

• art
• artwork
• picture
• piece
• portrait
• watercolor