Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A covering, usually of cloth, suspended over a throne or bed or held aloft on poles above an eminent person or a sacred object.
  • noun Architecture An ornamental rooflike projection over a niche, altar, or tomb.
  • noun A protective rooflike covering, often of canvas, mounted on a frame over a walkway or door.
  • noun A high overarching covering, such as the sky.
  • noun The uppermost layer in a forest, formed by the crowns of the trees.
  • noun The transparent enclosure over the cockpit of an aircraft.
  • noun The part of a parachute that opens up to catch the air.
  • transitive verb To cover with or as if with a canopy.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To cover with a canopy, or as with a canopy.
  • noun In general, any suspended covering that serves as a protection or shelter, as an awning, the tester of a bed, or the like; especially, an ornamental covering of cloth suspended on posts over a throne or the seat of a high dignitary, or any covering of cloth so disposed.
  • noun In specific figurative use, the sky: as, anywhere under the canopy, or the canopy of heaven.
  • noun In architecture, a decorative hood or cover supported or suspended over an altar, throne, chair of state, pulpit, and the like; also the ornamented projecting head of a niche or tabernacle.
  • noun Nautical: A light awning over the stern-sheets of a boat.
  • noun The brass framework over a hatch.
  • noun A large smoke-bell. See smoke-bell.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A covering fixed over a bed, dais, or the like, or carried on poles over an exalted personage or a sacred object, etc. chiefly as a mark of honor.
  • noun An ornamental projection, over a door, window, niche, etc.
  • noun Also, a rooflike covering, supported on pillars over an altar, a statue, a fountain, etc.
  • transitive verb To cover with, or as with, a canopy.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A high cover providing shelter, such as a cloth supported above an object, particularly over a bed.
  • noun Any overhanging or projecting roof structure, typically over entrances or doors.
  • noun The zone of the highest foliage and branches of a forest.
  • noun In an airplane, the transparent cockpit cover.
  • noun In a parachute, the cloth that fills with air and thus limits the falling speed.
  • verb To cover with or as if with a canopy.
  • verb To go through the canopy of a forest on a zipline.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the transparent covering of an aircraft cockpit
  • noun the umbrellalike part of a parachute that fills with air
  • verb cover with a canopy
  • noun a covering (usually of cloth) that serves as a roof to shelter an area from the weather

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English canape, from Medieval Latin canāpēum, mosquito net, from Latin cōnōpēum, from Greek kōnōpeion, bed with mosquito netting, from kōnōps, kōnōp-, mosquito.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English canope, from Latin cōnōpēum ("curtain") (ultimately from Ancient Greek κωνωπεῖον (konopeion)), through Medieval Latin canopeum, or possibly Old French conope, conopé (cf. modern French canapé).

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Examples

  • One of the surprising things I discovered is if you pull back with me on those mats of epiphytes what you'll find underneath them are connections, networks of what we call canopy roots.

    Nalini Nadkarni on conserving the canopy 2009

  • One of the surprising things I discovered is if you pull back with me on those mats of epiphytes what you'll find underneath them are connections, networks of what we call canopy roots.

    Nalini Nadkarni on conserving the canopy 2009

  • One of the surprising things I discovered is if you pull back with me on those mats of epiphytes what you'll find underneath them are connections, networks of what we call canopy roots.

    Nalini Nadkarni on conserving the canopy 2009

  • A painted plaster corset she was forced to wear to support her deteriorating spine presides over her bed, and under the canopy is a mirror which enabled her to paint her many self portraits.

    The Frida Kahlo Museum 2006

  • A painted plaster corset she was forced to wear to support her deteriorating spine presides over her bed, and under the canopy is a mirror which enabled her to paint her many self portraits.

    The Frida Kahlo Museum 2006

  • I use a climber where the canopy is more open and I can see well.

    Ground Blinds or tree stands 2009

  • The canopy is held by Oxford students in sub-fusc, which is the academic wear of students of Oxford University.

    Oxford Corpus Christi Procession 2009 2009

  • Until the canopy is installed, a temporary sign inside the station will direct people to the north escalators during bad weather.

    Dr. G's tips Post 2010

  • Several feet of space between the roof and tree canopy is much safer.

    Boost safety: Security plantings protect homes 2010

  • I use a climber where the canopy is more open and I can see well.

    Ground Blinds or tree stands 2009

Comments

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  • Its original meaning referred to the mosquito net hung over a bed for protection.

    August 21, 2008

  • I spent the summer wasting

    The time was passed so pleasantly

    Say cheerio to books now

    The only things I'll read are faces

    I spent the summer wasting

    Under a canopy of

    Seven weeks of reading papers

    Seven weeks of river walkways

    Seven weeks of feeling guilty

    Seven weeks of staying up all night.

    (A summer wasting, by Belle and Sebastian)

    June 9, 2009