canopy

[kan-uh-pee]

noun

plural

canopies 

1. a covering, usually of fabric, supported on poles or suspended above a bed, throne, exalted personage, or sacred object.

2. an overhanging projection or covering, as a long canvas awning stretching from the doorway of a building to a curb.

3. an ornamental, rooflike projection or covering.

4. Also called crown cover. Also called crown canopy;. the cover formed by the leafy upper branches of the trees in a forest.

5. the sky.

6. the part of a parachute that opens up and fills with air, usually made of nylon or silk.

7. the transparent cover over the cockpit of an airplane.

verb (used with object)

canopied, canopying 

1. to cover with or as with a canopy.

   Branches canopied the road.

canopy

/ ˈkænəpɪ /

noun

1. an ornamental awning above a throne or bed or held over a person of importance on ceremonial occasions

2. a rooflike covering over an altar, niche, etc

3. a roofed structure serving as a sheltered passageway or area

4. a large or wide covering, esp one high above

   the sky was a grey canopy

5. the nylon or silk hemisphere that forms the supporting surface of a parachute

6. the transparent cover of an aircraft cockpit

7. the highest level of branches and foliage in a forest, formed by the crowns of the trees

verb

1. (tr) to cover with or as if with a canopy

Other Word Forms

• supercanopy noun
• uncanopied adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of canopy¹

1350–1400; Middle English canope < Medieval Latin canōpēum, variant of Latin cōnōpēum mosquito net < Greek kōnōpeîon bed with net to keep gnats off, equivalent to kṓnōp ( s ) gnat + -eion, neuter of -eios adj. suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of canopy¹

C14: from Medieval Latin canōpeum mosquito net, from Latin cōnōpeum gauze net, from Greek kōnōpeion bed with protective net, from kōnōps mosquito

Example Sentences

The scene she depicts even imitates her real life: Kahlo actually kept a smaller, papier-mâché skeleton atop her own canopy bed in Mexico City as a reassuring symbol of death’s ubiquity.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

They were somewhat sheltered by the forest’s canopy of leaves, but the day grew warmer by the quarter hour.

Read more on Literature

Battery-operated trams would mitigate the loss of some of the canopy of trees as there would be no need for overhead lines, according to the proposals.

Read more on BBC

Bornean orangutans spend 90% of their time hanging out in trees, using their grasping feet and long hands to make their way through the tree canopy.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

He reached up and unlatched the clear canopy over the cockpit, and the whole thing cracked off and spun into the sky.

Read more on Literature