Etymologically
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canopy

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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.
  • 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