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The Lexis of Cloth and Clothing Project
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canvas

.
Searchable Lemmata: canevas (AF), canevacius (L), canvase (ME), canves (OScots), canvas (MdE), canvass (MdE).
Alternate Forms: canavace, canefas, canevace, canevaz, canevesce, canewas, canvaç, canvais, canveis, canvas, chanevaz, kanevas, kanevasce, kanevaz, canevacium, canefas, canvace, canevace, canwas, canewas, canvais, canves, caunvas, cambace, cannas, cannes.

    Definitions and Defining Citations:

1a(n.) Textile; fabric or material made from flax and/or hemp; came to be associated with a sturdy, typically undyed fabric, often used for bags, and humble garments but could be decorated as furnishing fabric. In the early fifteenth century vestments in the wardrobe of St Paul's Cathedral were wrapped in canvas while hanging in storage. Cf. also L cannabis: variants were by no means as limited in meaning as is the modern term 'canvas'. In her study of silken textiles in the Royal Wardrobe accounts, Lisa Monnas points out that 'The pann' adaur' in canab' (cloths of "canvas" woven with gold) seem likely to have been cloths made from hemp and gold thread ... [and] were consistently included among the silk materials' [Monnas, L. (1989), 286-7)].(ante 1210 still in current use)
1. [147] ... genualia: gallice genulers ... spinter gallice: e espinel ... [148] ... vexillum gallice: baner ... [149] ... plusculus: buclir ... carentivillas: canavaces ... [159] ... albor: blaunchure ... [160] ... candor gallice: blaunchure Gloss. (citations from individual page of text may not appear in original order) [AND TLL (ii 147-160) ante 1300]
2. [155] ... Richard le Taillour, hosier ... Reynaud de Alesleye, gurdeler [156] ... deuz aunes de canevace Legal. [AND King’s Bench (iv 155-156) circa 1289/1421]
3. Take smale Sachellis of canuas and fille hem full of þe same fars. [MED Form Cury ((Add 5016) p.81) ante 1399]
4. Sche went to London, clad in a cloth of canvas as it wer a sekkyn gelle [MED MKempe B ((Add 61823) 243/12) circa 1438]
5. [121] ... ij bankers lyned with Canvas of Cowchid Werke ... In primis, unum dorsour lyned with Canvas of Arras Werk ... [123] ... Item ij stonding Cuppes and vj peces with ij Couers ... Item, iij napkyns de Reynes Accounts. (citations from individual page of text may not appear in original order) [MED Invent.Gild in PSAL ser.2.5 (121-123) 1442]
6. pro viij ulnis de kanevec' et pro cordis ... ad ligandum omnia predicta Accounts, Legal. [DMLBS Cl (391b) 1219]
7. in pannis, cavena et panniculis (Test.) [DMLBS EHR (XV 525) 1295]
8. de qualibet centena linee tele, cavenati, pannorum Hybernie Other. [DMLBS DocCOx (304) 1300/1399]
9. canevasium, A. canevas Gloss. [DMLBS WW (canevasium) 1400/1499]
10. I payd ... fore iiij boltes of kanas konteynenge ij c heles Accounts. [MED Acc.Howard in RC 57 (203) 1465]
c.f.: cannabis, canevel
AF, L, ME, MdE, OScots.
Sex: N/A    Use: n/a    Ceremonial: No
Body Parts: N/A.
1b(n.) Textile; piece of canvas or garment made from canvas; an item of bedding sometimes associated with a matress.(ante 1210 still in current use)
1. Isabelle de Vernoune ... amova ses biens al Chastell' de Cardoille et a la ville pur sauvement garder pur les enemyes d'Escoce come autres gent fesoient, c'est asavoir deux sakes de leynes prise de .xx. mars et une coupe d'argent prise de .xl. s. et une jupell' prise de .c. s. et une seal a pallefré pur chivaler prise de .ij. mars ... une paneloun et une spozeyn ... un matresce, une canevesce de yndecarde ... une demy drap de tanné ... Legal. [AND Northern Pet (116) circa 1296/1412]
2. [7] ... De j bolt et vj ulnis de Eylisham venditis ... [10] ... Panetria ... ij s. de j canevaz continente xxj ulnas vendito Et de xx d. de j canevaz debili ... vendito. Accounts. [MED Acc.Executors in Camd.n.s.10 (7-10) 1310]
3. The mullok on an heep yswepe was, And on the floor ycast a canevas [vrr. canvas, kanevas] Poetic. [MED Chaucer CT.CY. ((Manly-Rickert) G.939) circa 1395]
4. [4/13] ... A bed of tapicers werk ... ypouthered with chapes and scochons ... of myn Auncestres armes ... [4/15] ... I bequethe ... my beste fetherbed, and a blu caneuas, and a materas, and twey blankettys ... [4/18] ... I bequethe to the same Thomas ... A bleu couertour of menyuer, and a keuerlet of red sendel Legal, Wills. a bed cover [MED EEWills (4/13-18) 1395]
5. In le Bakhous ... j muldyngbord cum covertore ad idem. ... j lectum ... cum j seler, j coverlyt, iij curtynys, j canevas, j materasa bed cover (citations from individual page of text may not appear in original order) [MED Stonor (1.43) circa 1425]
6. They cuttyd hir gown so schort þat it come but lytil be-nethyn hir kne & dedyn hir don on a whyte canwas in maner of a sekkyn gellea garment (perhaps made of canvas?) [MED MKempe A ((Add 61823) 62/16-17) ante 1438]
7. Nous vous mandons qe ... facez liverer ... drap launge de blankete pur un corsete et autre drap launge pur deux cotes ... trois paire de chauces et un canevace pur son lit ... Accounts. (citations from individual leaf of manuscript may not appear in original order) [AND PRO E101/395/2 (43) circa 1364/1371]
8. ad portandum ... blankettos nostros et canevatios nostros, quos Lond' fieri jussimus Accounts, Legal. [DMLBS Cl (82) 1207]
AF, L, ME, MdE, OScots.
Sex: N/A    Ceremonial: No
Body Parts: N/A.
1c(n.) Raw Material; wool-pack (in AF usage).(circa 1274 - ante 1350 ?)
1. que tieu canevace ensemblement ové lor corners lor soient alloués Legal. [AND Stats (i 368 xix) post 1274]
AF.
Sex: N/A    Ceremonial: No
Body Parts: N/A.
2(adj.) Textile; canvas-coloured; hempen or hemp-coloured.(circa 1222 still in current use)
1. faciatis ... album girefalconem et alium kanevacium custodiendos Accounts. (describing a falcon over a year old) [DMLBS Cl (507b) 1222]
2. chanevaz (vars. canevas, canevaz), ceo est nent ben rosaz [AND Glan lex (46D)]
3. [101] ... De j pecia Chaumpan cloth, cont. ij doss ... pret. le doss. vj s. viij d. ... [102] ... De vj preste caps, syngle, ij s. De ij preste caps, duplicibus, xviij d. ... De viij bonet caps ... De v bonetes duplicatis ... De iij mens bonettes ... De canvas pokez, vj d. ... De iiij pauteners Dornet, ij s. ... De iij dos. et vij uln. lewent store, v s. ... De iij peciis blewe bokesyn et j pece grene bokasyn, pret. xx s. Wills. (citations from individual page of text may not appear in original order) [MED Will York in Sur. Soc. 45 (101-102) circa 1446]
c.f.: cannabeus
AF, L, ME, MdE, OScots.
Sex: N/A    Ceremonial: No
Body Parts: N/A.

    Etymological Evidence:

Definite, From AF canevas; Old French chaneva. In British Latin texts from at least 1207. According to the OED (2nd ed,, 1989), the modern form spelled with a single -s (canvas) is more etymologically accurate than the more common modern spelling: canvass.
WF:
Etym Cog: chaneva (OF).
References:
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