# canvas

Pronunciation: US say "KAN-vuhs" /ˈkænvəs/; UK

## Noun

1. A heavy, rough cloth woven from hemp, used for sails and tents and as a surface for painting.
   - Simple: A strong, rough cloth used to make sails, tents, and surfaces for painting.
   - _The old sail was cut from heavy canvas that had weathered many storms._
   - _Workers stretched lengths of canvas over the poles to form the tents._
2. A piece of cloth stretched across a frame, providing a surface on which an artist paints.
   - Simple: A piece of cloth stretched tightly over a frame, used for painting pictures on.
   - _She primed the canvas before starting her portrait._
   - _Several blank canvases leaned against the studio wall._
3. A starting point or open framework that provides the basis for creative work.
   - Simple: Something that gives you a starting point for making something new and creative.
   - _The director treated the bare stage as a canvas for bold experiments._
   - _For her, the human body was a canvas on which she told whole stories._
4. A defined region on which graphics can be drawn or rendered by a program.
   - Simple: A space on a screen where a program can draw shapes, pictures, or text.
   - _The developer resized the canvas to fit the browser window._
   - _Each frame, the game redraws every sprite onto the canvas._
5. A mesh of loosely woven cotton strands or molded plastic, used as a base to be decorated with needlepoint, cross-stitch, or other crafts.
   - Simple: A loose mesh of cotton threads or plastic used as a base for sewing crafts like cross-stitch.
   - _He counted the holes in the canvas to center his cross-stitch design._
   - _Beginners often start with a coarse canvas that has larger holes._
7. The full spread of sail a vessel carries, considered as a whole rather than as individual sails.
   - Simple: The sails of a ship, thought of all together.
   - _The captain ordered every scrap of canvas spread to outrun the storm._
   - _As the wind rose, the crew took in canvas to steady the vessel._
8. A tent, especially one made of heavy cloth used for shelter or camping.
   - Simple: A tent, or tents used for camping or shelter.
   - _The whole regiment lived under canvas during the summer maneuvers._
   - _By dusk, a cluster of canvas dotted the riverbank._
9. A rough draft or model of a song or other composition, especially one showing a poet the measure of the verses to be made.
   - Simple: A rough plan for a song or poem that shows how it should be built.
   - _The poet shaped his lines to match the canvas supplied by the court composer._
   - _Before the melody was finished, only a bare canvas of the air existed._
10. Athletic shoes, especially lightweight ones with canvas uppers. *(Nigeria)*
   - Simple: Light sports shoes made of cloth.
   - _The team trained in lightweight canvas rather than heavy leather boots._
   - _He kept a fresh pair of canvas ready for game days._

## Verb

6. To spread canvas over an area or object to cover it.
   - Simple: To cover an area or object with strong cloth.
   - _Volunteers canvas the stage before each outdoor concert._
   - _They will canvas the entire roof if the leaks continue._

## Verb

11. Obsolete spelling of canvass. *(obsolete)* — Obsolete spelling of canvass.
   - Simple: Obsolete spelling of canvass. Use the modern spelling "canvass" today.

## Noun

12. Obsolete spelling of canvass. *(obsolete)* — Obsolete spelling of canvass.
   - Simple: Obsolete spelling of canvass. Use the modern spelling "canvass" today.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–10** — This comes from Middle English "canevas," through Anglo-Norman and Old Northern French, from a root derived from Latin "cannabis," itself from Ancient Greek "kánnabis." It is a doublet of "cannabis" and "hemp."
**Meanings 11–12** — This spelling is a variant of "canvass."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/canvas (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).