any of various slender, open boats, tapering to a point at both ends, propelled by paddles or sometimes sails and traditionally formed of light framework covered with bark, skins, or canvas, or formed from a dug-out or burned-out log or logs, and now usually made of aluminum, fiberglass, etc.
any of various small, primitive light boats.
verb (used without object),ca·noed,ca·noe·ing.
to paddle a canoe.
to go in a canoe.
verb (used with object),ca·noed,ca·noe·ing.
to transport or carry by canoe.
Idioms
paddle one's own canoe, Informal.
to handle one's own affairs; manage independently.
1550s, originally in a West Indian context, from Spanish canoa, a term used by Columbus, from Arawakan (Haiti) canaoua. Extended to rough-made or dugout boats generally. Early variants in English included cano, canow, canoa, etc., before spelling settled down c.1600.
