CANVAS (French canavas; Greek καναβίς, hemp); a strong kind of cloth made of hemp or flax, and used for tents, sails, &c. Also a clear unbleached cloth, woven regularly in little squares used for working tapestry with the needle.
Canvas, among painters, denotes the prepared cloth on which pictures are drawn.
Canecas, among the French, signifies also the rough draught of the words to which an air or piece of music is composed, and which serves merely to indicate the measure and style of writing required of the poet who is to complete the work.