Canvas

Definitions: Canvas

Canvas

Noun

1. Heavy closely woven fabric (used for clothing or chairs or sails or tents).

2. An oil painting on canvas.

3. The setting for a narrative or fictional or dramatic account; "the crowded canvas of history;" "the movie demanded a dramatic canvas of sound".

4. A tent made of canvas.

5. A large piece of fabric (as canvas) by means of which wind is used to propel a sailing vessel.

6. The mat that forms the floor of the ring in which boxers or professional wrestlers compete; "the boxer picked himself up off the canvas".

Verb

1. Solicit votes from potential voters in an electoral campaign.

2. Get the opinions of people, for example.

Date "canvas" was first used: 1354. (references)

Domain	Definitions
Fine Arts	Print coloured copperplate engraving by dabbing colours on to plate and printing at single impression. Source: European Union. (references)
Industry	A closely woven, plain-weave cloth, usually made from cotton or linen yarns, similar to canvas. The terms canvas and duck have become almost generic and are usually, qualified by terms that indicate the use of the cloth, e. g. Royal Navy canvas, artist's canvas, duck suiting, belting duck. Source: European Union. (references)
	Strong unbleached cloth of hemp or flax, for sails, tents, painting and so on; open kind used as basis for tapestry and embroidery. Source: European Union. (references)
Literature	Canvas means cloth made of hemp. To canvas a subject is to strain it through a hemp strainer, to sift it; and to canvass a borough is to sift the votes. (Latin, cannabis, hemp.). Source: Brewer's Dictionary.
Mining	Usually applied to brattice cloth, which is a heavy canvas of cotton,hemp, or flax, frequently fireproofed. (references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Canvas is an extremely heavy-duty fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees and other functions where sturdiness is required.

Artists use small (or sometimes much larger) pieces of canvas as a base for their works of art. This canvas is stretched across a wooden frame called a stretcher, and is coated with gesso before it is to be used (although some modern artists, such as Francis Bacon and Helen Frankenthaler sometimes paint onto the bare, unprimed canvas).

You can also buy small pre-prepared canvases which are glued to a cardboard backing in the factory, and precoated, but these are only available in certain sizes and they are not acid-free so their lifespan is extremely limited. They are usually used for quick studies. Pre-gessoed canvases on stretchers are also available. Professional artists who wish to work on canvas usually prepare their own canvas in the traditional manner.

One of the most outstanding differences between modern painting techniques and those of the Flemish and Dutch Masters is in the preparation of the canvas. "Modern" techniques take advantage of both the canvas texture as well as those of the paint itself. A novice artist often finds it nearly impossible to approach the realism of such classic art, despite excellent skill in applying the paint, and, in utter frustration, might wonder what he is "doing wrong" The answer is relatively simple. Renaissance masters took extreme measures to ensure that none of the texture of the canvas came through. This required a painstaking, months-long process of layering the raw canvas with (usually) lead-white paint, then polishing the surface, and then repeating. The final product had no resemblance to fabric, but instead had a glossy, enamel-like finish. This may seem an extreme measure for the modern painter, but is absolutely crucial if photographic realism is the end goal. This is just one of the not-so-secret "secrets" of the great Masters; there is no substitute for such devotion to detail.

With a properly prepared canvas, the painter will find that each subsequent layer of color glides on in a delightful "buttery" manner, and that with the proper consistency of application, (fat over lean technique) a painting entirely devoid of brushstrokes can be readily achieved. Without such a flawless surface, the painter will be forever consigned to something less than complete mastery of the work.

Canvas is also a Belgian broadcasting organization.

Synonyms: Canvas

Synonyms: canvas tent (n), sail (n), sheet (n), canvass (v), poll (v). (additional references)

Context	Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus).
Arena	Boxing ring, canvas.
Navigation	Verb: sail; put to sea; (depart); take ship, get under way; set sail, spread sail, spread canvas; gather way, have way on; make sail, carry sail; plow the waves, plow the deep, plow the main, plow the ocean; walk the waters.
	Noun: navigation; aquatics; boating, yachting; ship; oar, paddle, screw, sail, canvas, aileron.
	Adverb: under way, under sail, under canvas, under steam; on the wing, in flight, in orbit.
Painting	Picture, painting, piece, tableau, canvas; oil painting; fresco, cartoon; easel picture, cabinet picture, draught, draft; pencil; drawing, water color drawing, etching, charcoal, pen-and-ink; sketch, outline, study.
Velocity	Under press of sail, under press of canvas, under press of sail and steam; velis et remis, on eagle's wing, in double quick time; with rapid strides, with giant strides; a pas de geant; in seven league boots; whip and spur; ventre a terre; as fast as one's legs will carry one, as fast as one's heels will carry one; as fast as one can lay legs to the ground, at the top of one;s speed; by leaps and bounds; with haste.
Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus.

Domain	Usage
Screenplays	No, but he was carrying it in a canvas bag with a big dollar sign on it. (Gilmore Girls; writing credit: Povl Erik Carstensen; Sebastian Dorset) I want this to be a picture of dignity a true canvas of the suffering of humanity. (Sullivan's Travels; writing credit: Preston Sturges) Each is a collectors' item in its own way - not because of any special artistic quality, but because each captures on a canvas, and suspends in time and space, a frozen moment of a nightmare. (Night Gallery; writing credit: Rod Serling; Jack Laird)
Lyrics	The canvas can do miracles ("Sailing"; performing artist: Christopher Cross)
Clever	Love is a canvas furnished by nature and embroidered by imagination. (references; author: unknown)
Movie/TV Titles	The Very Naked Canvas (1965) Canvas Back Duck (1953) The Canvas Kisser (1925) Demons On Canvas (2001) Canvas of War (2000)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Domain	Title
References	The World Market for Gum-Coated Textile Fabrics for Book Covers, Tracing Cloth, Prepared Painting Canvas, and Buckram for Hat Foundations: A 2004 Global Trade Perspective (reference) (more reference examples)

Books	A Currier & Ives Christmas: Four Stories of Love Come to Life from the Canvas of Classic Christmas Art (reference) British Campaign Furniture: Elegance Under Canvas, 1740-1914 (reference) Floorcloth Magic: How to Paint Canvas Rugs for Decorative Home Use (reference) Painting Floorcloths: 20 Canvas Rugs to Stamp, Stencil, Sponge, and Spatter in a Weekend (The Weekend Crafter) (reference) The Complete Book of Floorcloths: Designs & Techniques for Painting Great-Looking Canvas Rugs (reference) (more book examples)

Periodicals	Plastic Canvas Home & Holiday (reference) Plastic Canvas Today (reference) (more periodical examples)

Theater & Movies	Canvas (reference) Canvas of Blood (reference) (more DVD examples; more video examples)

Music	Frame & Canvas (reference) (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)

High Tech	Canvas Inkjet Cloth 8 Sheets 8.5 X 11 14MIL (reference) GRAPHIC MATTE CANVAS 17 MIL HI (reference) Canvas 7.0 Standard Edition (Single X-Platform) (reference) Canvas 8 Pro Upgrade Mac Os X/9 (reference) UPG CANVAS V7.0 SINGLE USER (reference) (more camera examples; more video game examples; more computer examples; more electronic examples; more software examples)

Consumer Goods	Bloch New England CD-2100 12' x 15' Canvas Drop Cloth (reference) Telesteps 106X Canvas Carry Bag with Strap (reference) Tufco 58903 Canvas Drop Cloth (reference) (more baby examples; more wireless phone examples; more garden examples; more kitchen examples; more tool examples)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Thumbnail	Description & Credit	Thumbnail	Description & Credit
	Using canvas strip on sand hill White 1 and 1/2 ton truck Astro party of C.V. Hodgson.Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection.		Articles of whale-boat gear. 1. Lantern keg containing matches, bread,&c. 2 Boat compass. 3. Water keg. 4. Piggin for bailing water 5. Waif for signaling. 6. Tub oar crotch. 7. Double oar-lock 8. Large line in line-tub. 9. Knife to cut line. 10 Row-lock. 11. Hatchet 12. Grapnel. 13. Drag or drug to retard whale. 14. Canvas nipper.Credit: National Marine Fisheries Historical Image Collection.
	Fig. 1 - Bait chopper; Fig. 2 - Bait slivering knife Fig. 3 - Halibut killer and gob stick; Fig. 4 - Wooden hand nipper Fig. 5 - Halibut gaff; Fig. 6 - Trawl buoy and black ball Fig. 7 - Canvas skate for section of trawl; Fig. 8 - Dory scoop Drawing by Capt. J.W. Collins.Credit: National Marine Fisheries Historical Image Collection.		[A tailor's shop under canvas, Harbin].Credit: National Library of Medicine.
	Underway at high speed, during operations out of Rendova, Solomon Islands, in January 1944. She has been fitted with a 40mm gun forward and carries Mark XIII torpedoes. Note camouflaged canvas covers over her midships machine gun mounts.Credit: NAVY.		Taking green water over her bow during a storm off the U.S. Atlantic Coast, circa July-September 1898. Note canvas protective wrapping around the 5"/40 gun mounted on this converted ferryboat's low forecastle, and furled awning overhead.Credit: NAVY.
	Geometric art on canvas with huge ornate signature.Credit: Library of Congress.		Soviet freighter Anesov, being escorted by a Navy plane and the destroyer USS Barry, while it leaves Cuba probably loaded with missiles under the canvas cover seen on deck.Credit: Library of Congress.
	Jericho Mills, Va. Canvas pontoon bridge across the North Anna, constructed by the 50th New York Engineers; the 5th Corps under Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren crossed here on the 23d. View from the north bank.Credit: Library of Congress.		Rappahannock Station, Va. Canvas pontoon boat, 50th New York Engineers.Credit: Library of Congress.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Author	Quotation
Lucius Annaeus Seneca	A great pilot can sail even when his canvas is rent.
Voltaire	Love is a canvas furnished by Nature and embroidered by imagination.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Title	Author	Quote
Grapes of Wrath	Steinbeck, John	The shadow of someone walking between the tent and the sun crossed the canvas.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Subject	Topic	Quote
Economic History	Pakistan	The country has a capacity to also produce 750 million pieces of woven garments as well as knitwear, towels, tarpaulin and canvas. (references)
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

"Canvas" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 100.00% of the time. "Canvas" is used about 1,138 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted)

Parts of Speech	Percent	Usage per 100 Million Words	Rank in English
Noun (singular)	100%	1,138	6,725

1. Canvas, WV
Zip Code(s): 26662
Country: USA

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Expressions: Canvas

Expressions using "canvas": canvas hut ♦ canvas sheet ♦ canvas tent ♦ press of canvas ♦ strip of canvas ♦ under canvas ♦ with every stitch of canvas set. Additional references.
Hyphenated Usage
	Beginning with "canvas": canvas-back, canvas-backed, canvas-beauty, canvas-bottomed, canvas-chair, canvas-covered, canvas-shod, canvas-sided, canvas-topped.
	Ending with "canvas": five-canvas, oil-on-canvas, plastic-canvas.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Frequency of Internet Keywords: Canvas

The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com.

Expression	Frequency per Day
canvas	794
plastic canvas	669
free pattern for plastic canvas	561
oil on canvas	524
canvas awning	296
canvas tent	274
canvas bag	222
art canvas	211
canvas tote bag	203
photo canvas	159
print on canvas	143
canvas tarp	130
boat canvas	127
canvas shoes	119
canvas painting	106
free plastic canvas	73
needlepoint canvas	73
canvas fabric	69
canvas tote	55
open canvas	53
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Modern Translations: Canvas

Language		Translations for "canvas"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses.
Arabic		‏لوحة زيتية على قماش, ‏قماش كتاني, ‏خيام, ‏الكنفا نسيج غليظ, ‏أشرعة (cloth), ‏شراع (cloth, course, film, knockabout, rag, sail, sheet). (various references)

Bulgarian		корабни платна, картина с маслени бои (oils), канава, панама, платно за рисуване на картина, платнище (ground sheet, tarpaulin). (various references)

Chinese		帆布 . (various references)

Czech		plachty, plachtovina (sail cloth), plachtoví, plátno (cloth, linen, screen), obraz (drawing, image, painting, picture, piece, presentment, reflex, representation, scene, view), malířské plátno. (various references)

Danish		canvas, tampon (compress, dabber, pad, pledget, plug, sponge, swab, tampon), slangebeskyttelse (duck), sejldug (cotton duck, duck, tent fabric, tenting), loest vaevet bund (canevas, loosely woven backing, scrim), laerred (net fabric), lærred (cloth, linen, lingerie, undergarment), kanvas (hemp linen), kannevas (duck), kanevas (duck), faelgbaand (duck), dug (cloth, dew, tablecloth). (various references)

Dutch		canvas (canevas, duck, hemp linen, loosely woven backing, scrim). (various references)

Esperanto		kanvaso. (various references)

Farsi		پارچه مخصوص نقاشی , پرده نقاشی (Tableau), کف رینگ بوکس یاکشتی . (various references)

Finnish		vannenauha (duck), kanvasti (duck), kangas (cloth, fabric, heath, material, moor, stuff), hamppupalttina (hemp linen). (various references)

French		canevas (canevas), toile. (various references)

German		Zelttuch, segeltuch (duck, sailcloth), Segel (sail, sails), Kanevas (canevas, duck, loosely woven backing, scrim, tent fabric, tenting). (various references)

Greek		καραβόπανο (burlap, hemp linen, hessian, sackcloth, sacking, sail cloth), καμβάς (duck). (various references)

Hebrew		אברזין (tarpaulin, tilt), ארי�' מפרשים (staysail), ב�" מפרש, ברז� ט (tarpaulin). (various references)

Hungarian		vászon (calico, crinoline, linen). (various references)

Indonesian		terpal, kanvas. (various references)

Italian		tela (cloth, duck, linen, web), canovaccio (canevas, dish cloth, duster, loosely woven backing, scrim). (various references)

Japanese Kanji		�"�布 , キャリア組 (base, calibration, camp, camp in, camp site, camper, camper-van, campfire, camping, campus, campus shoes, campus wear, cancel, canceler, canceller, cancer, candle, candle service, candlestick, candy, cantaloupe, canter, career bureaucrats, carol, carriage, mobile home, model featured in an advertising campaign, RV), スンプ法 (cloth, courgette, screen, sump method, thud, trousers, zoom, zoom in, zoom lens, zooming, zoot suit, zucchini), カンジダ膣炎 (border, Cambodia, Cambrian, campaign, camphor, candidal vaginitis, cantabile, cantaloupe, cantata, canzone, cedilla, cheat, comma, company, company economist, company magazine, company paper, company union, conversation, country, country and western, country club, country music, country risk, country wear, cunning, fund raising, Kant, school, torch, vaginal yeast infection), 帆布 (sailcloth). (various references)

Japanese Katakana		がふ (picture book or album), ほぬの (sailcloth), ズック (cloth, screen), キャンバス (base), カンバス , は�"ぷ (distribution, sailcloth). (various references)

Korean		�"포. (various references)

Manx		carmeish (awning, dodger, tarpaulin). (various references)

Papago		lohna. (various references)

Pig Latin		anvascay

Portuguese		tela (cloth, duck, fabric, fabric insert, grilled, hemp linen, linen, paper-making machine wire, screen, wire), lona (cotton duck, duck, hemp linen, sailcloth, tarpaulin, tic, twich). (various references)

Romanian		canava (groundwork, sketch), velaturã (rig), tablou (aspect, drawing, engraving, figure, image, lookout, painting, panel, picture, scene, schedule, slab, table, tableau), prelatã (tarpaulin), pânze, pânzã tare, pânzã de vele. (various references)

Russian		холст (sackcloth, scrim), канва, брезент (sailcloth, tarp, tarpaulin), парусина (sailcloth, sail-cloth). (various references)

Sepedi		seila. (various references)

Serbo-Croatian		slika (chart, effigy, image, painting, picture, simulacrum), platno (linen, panel). (various references)

Spanish		lona (duck, sailcloth), cañamazo (canevas, loosely woven backing, scrim). (various references)

Swedish		tältduk, segelduk (duck, sail cloth, sailcloth, sail-cloth), målarduk, kanvas (hemp linen), kanfas (duck, hemp linen), duk (canvas (to paint on), cloth, flag, netting, screen, tablecloth, table-cloth, webbing). (various references)

Turkish		yelken bezi (sailcloth), yelken (cloth, sail), tuvale yapılmış tablo, tuval (stretcher), kanvaz, kanaviçe, çadır bezi. (various references)

Ukranian		шатро (marquee, tabernacle), картина (depiction, painting, picture), картини, вітрила (clothing), оснастити вітрилами, намет (booth, tent), марля (gauze), закрити парусиной, загрунтоване полотно, живопис (painting), брезент, полотно (bed, cloth), парусина (duck, sailcloth). (various references)

Vietnamese		vải bạt lều, bức vẽ. (various references)

Welsh		cynfas (bedsheet, sheet). (various references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references.

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Ancestral Language Translations: Canvas

Language	Period	Translations
Greek	700 BCE-300 CE	kannabis. (various references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

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Derivations & Misspellings: Canvas

Derivations
	Words beginning with "canvas": canvasback, canvasbacks, canvased, canvaser, canvasers, canvases, canvasing, canvaslike, canvass, canvassed, canvasser, canvassers, canvasses, canvassing. (additional references)
Misspellings
	"Canvas" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: anva, canas, Canavese, canbas, Caneva, canevas, cangaes, Cangas, cantasi, canvan, canvase, canvess, canvos, canvus, ccanvass, cen-ars, cenas, Cinva, Conval, Cunhas, cyaneas, Cynlas, Kanvas. (additional references)
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references).

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Rhyming with "Canvas"

# of Phoneme Matches	Pronunciation	Word(s) rhyming with "canvas" (pronounced ka"nvus)
6	k a" n v u s	canvass.
3	-v u s	crevice, disservice, grievous, mischievous, nervous, novice, pelvis, service.
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

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Anagrams: Canvas

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams
	Words within the letters "a-a-c-n-s-v"
	-2 letters: anas, ansa, cans, casa, scan, vacs, vans, vasa.
	-3 letters: aas, ana, ava, can, sac, vac, van, vas.
	-4 letters: aa, an, as, na.
	Words containing the letters "a-a-c-n-s-v"
	+1 letter: canvass.
	+2 letters: advances, canvased, canvaser, canvases, caravans, vaccinas, valances.
	+3 letters: advancers, canvasers, canvasing, canvassed, canvasser, canvasses, carnivals, cavatinas, czarevnas, evacuants, vacancies, vacations, vaccinias, valencias, valiances, variances.
	+4 letters: anchovetas, avalanches, avocations, avoidances, canvasback, canvaslike, canvassers, canvassing, caravaners, naviculars, subclavian, vacantness, vaccinates, vagrancies, valiancies, vicariants.
	+5 letters: activations, advocations, anchovettas, cadaverines, canvasbacks, caravanners, caravansary, cavitations, covariances, evacuations, excavations, inactivates, invariances, nonvascular, subclavians, vacationers, vacationist, vaccinators, vandalistic, vaticinates, vernaculars, vicariances, vulcanisate.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro.