canopy

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈkæ.nə.pi/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English canope,^[2][3][4] borrowed from Medieval Latin canōpēum (“mosquito net”),^[5][2][4] from Latin cōnōpēum,^[5][2][6] from Ancient Greek κωνωπεῖον (kōnōpeîon, “bed or couch with mosquito curtains”),^[5][3][4] from kṓnōps “mosquito, gnat”,^[5][2][3][6] a word of unknown origin.^[3][6] Barnhart and Etymonline also give Old French conopé, canapé.^[6][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A covering or hangings suspended over a throne, couch or bed, or held over a person in procession (1382).^[7][6][3]

Semantic evolution

The Greek word named an Egyptian couch with a mosquito net.^[3] English kept the idea of the overhead covering,^[3][7] while French, Spanish and Portuguese canapé kept the idea of the couch and came to mean “sofa”.^[3] The covering idea was extended to any overhanging shelter, to the sky (1602), to the upper branches of a forest, and in the 20th century to parachutes (1930) and aircraft cockpits (1939).^[7]

Timeline

• 1382 – a covering over a throne, bed, or person in procession.^[7][6]
• 1513 – a covering over a shrine or the Host.^[7]
• 1594 – verb, to cover with a canopy.^[2]
• 1601 – any overhanging shade; the uppermost branches of a forest.^[7]
• 1602 – the sky.^[7]
• 1682 – (architecture) an ornamental rooflike projection.^[7]
• 1930 – the umbrella of a parachute.^[7]
• 1939 – the cover of an aircraft cockpit.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A covering, usually of cloth, hung over a bed or throne or carried above an eminent person or sacred object.
2. A rooflike covering or awning over a doorway or walkway.
3. An ornamental rooflike projection over a niche, altar or tomb.
4. The uppermost layer of a forest, formed by the crowns of the trees.
5. The transparent enclosure over an aircraft cockpit.
6. The part of a parachute that fills with air.
7. The sky, or any high overarching covering.

Verb

1. To cover with or as if with a canopy.

Related words

• canapé

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
5. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
6. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press