canvas

canvas · noun, verb¹

1. Ancient Greek · derived fromκάνναβις
2. Latin · derived fromcannabis
3. Old Northern French · derived fromcanevas
4. Middle English · inherited fromcanevas
5. English todaycanvas

From Middle English canevas, from Anglo-Norman, from Old Northern French canevas (compare Old French chanevas, chenevas) from a root derived from Latin cannabis, from Ancient Greek κάνναβις (kánnabis). Compare French canevas, resulting from a blend of the Old French and a Picard dialect word, itself from Old Northern French. Doublet of cannabis and hemp.

canvas · verb, noun²

A variant of canvass.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• 16th–18th c. Obsolete spelling of canvass.
• 17th–18th c. Obsolete spelling of canvass.