canvas

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A heavy, coarse, closely woven fabric of cotton, hemp, or flax, used for tents and sails.
2. n. A piece of such fabric on which a painting, especially an oil painting, is executed.
3. n. A painting executed on such fabric.
4. n. A fabric of coarse open weave, used as a foundation for needlework.
5. n. The background against which events unfold, as in a historical narrative: a grim portrait of despair against the bright canvas of the postwar economy.
6. n. Nautical A sail or set of sails.
7. n. A tent or group of tents.
8. n. A circus tent.
9. n. Sports The floor of a ring in which boxing or wrestling takes place.
10. idiom. under canvas Nautical With sails spread.
11. idiom. under canvas In a tent or tents.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. pl. canvases, sometimes canvasses. A closely woven, dense, heavy cloth of hemp or flax, used for any purpose for which strength and durability are required. Specifically—
2. n. A fabric woven in small square meshes, used for working tapestry or embroidery with the needle.
3. n. Nautical, cloth in sails, or sails in general: as, to spread as much canvas as the ship will bear.
4. Made of canvas.
5. To provide or cover with canvas.
6. To toss as in canvas; shake; take to task.
7. To sift; examine; discuss: in this sense now usually spelled canvass (which see).
8. n. In cricket, a sheet of white canvas stretched on the boundary as a background behind the bowler, to aid the batsman in seeing the ball.
9. n. A painting executed on canvas.
10. n. Words written to an air without reference to the sense, simply to indicate to the poet or song-writer the measure of the verses he is to supply.

Wiktionary

1. n. A type of coarse cloth, woven from hemp, useful for making sails and tents or as a surface for paintings.
2. n. A piece of canvas cloth stretched across a frame on which one may paint.
3. n. A basis for creative work.
4. n. sails in general
5. n. A tent.
6. n. alternative spelling of canvass.
7. v. To cover an area or object with canvas.
8. v. alternative spelling of canvass.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. A strong cloth made of hemp, flax, or cotton; -- used for tents, sails, etc.
2. n. A coarse cloth so woven as to form regular meshes for working with the needle, as in tapestry, or worsted work.
3. n. A piece of strong cloth of which the surface has been prepared to receive painting, commonly painting in oil.
4. n. Something for which canvas is used: (a) A sail, or a collection of sails. (b) A tent, or a collection of tents. (c) A painting, or a picture on canvas.
5. n. A rough draft or model of a song, air, or other literary or musical composition; esp. one to show a poet the measure of the verses he is to make.
6. adj. Made of, pertaining to, or resembling, canvas or coarse cloth.

WordNet 3.0

1. v. consider in detail and subject to an analysis in order to discover essential features or meaning
2. n. the mat that forms the floor of the ring in which boxers or professional wrestlers compete
3. v. cover with canvas
4. n. the setting for a narrative or fictional or dramatic account
5. v. get the opinions (of people) by asking specific questions
6. n. a large piece of fabric (usually canvas fabric) by means of which wind is used to propel a sailing vessel
7. n. a tent made of canvas fabric
8. n. an oil painting on canvas fabric
9. v. solicit votes from potential voters in an electoral campaign
10. n. a heavy, closely woven fabric (used for clothing or chairs or sails or tents)