canopy meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

canopy

noun

UK, US /ˈkæ.nə.pi/

Etymology From Middle English canapy, canepie, canapee, canape, canope, from Old French conopé, Medieval Latin canapeum, canopeum, from Latin cōnōpēum (“mosquito net, canopy”), from Ancient Greek κωνωπεῖον (kōnōpeîon, “mosquito net”), from Ancient Greek κώνωψ (kṓnōps, “mosquito”), of uncertain origin. More at Ancient Greek κώνωψ (kṓnōps). Doublet of canapé and conopeum.

A high cover providing shelter, such as a cloth supported above an object, particularly over a bed.

golden canopies and beds of state1847, John Dryden, The Works of John Dryden in Verse and Prose, volume 1, Harper, The Beginning of the Second Book of Lucretius:
Platforms would be widened and covered by canopies with heated waiting areas for passengers.2019 October, “Consultation on University Station designs”, in Modern Railways, page 17:

Architecture Any overhanging or projecting roof structure, typically over entrances or doors.

Biology, Business, Ecology, Forestry, Natural sciences The zone of the highest foliage and branches of a forest.

Aeronautics, Aerospace, Business, Engineering, Natural sciences, Physical sciences In an airplane, the transparent cockpit cover.

Aeronautics, Aerospace, Aviation, Business, Engineering, Natural sciences, Physical sciences In a parachute, the cloth that fills with air and thus limits the falling speed.

Derived terms: canopyless, canopylike, canopy piloting, canopy shyness, intercanopy, intracanopy, mid-canopy, overcanopy, pram canopy, subcanopy, supercanopy, undercanopy

canopy

verb

To cover with or as if with a canopy.

Away before me to sweet beds of flowers: Love-thoughts lie rich when canopied with bowers.c. 1601–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or What You Will”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]:
I sat me down to watch upon a bank With ivy canopied, and interwove With flaunting honeysuckle […]1634 October 9 (first performance; Gregorian calendar), [John Milton], edited by H[enry] Lawes, A Maske Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634: […] [Comus], London: […] [Augustine Matthews] for Hvmphrey Robinson, […], published 1637, →OCLC; reprinted as Comus: […] (Dodd, Mead & Company’s Facsimile Reprints of Rare Books; Literature Series; no. I), New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1903, →OCLC, lines 543-5:

2 more examples

I began also to observe, with greater accuracy, the forms that surrounded me, and to perceive the boundaries of the radiant roof of light which canopied me.1816 June – 1817 April/May (date written), [Mary Shelley], chapter 11, in Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] [Macdonald and Son] for Lackington, Hughes, Harding, Mavor, & Jones, published 1 January 1818, →OCLC:
1850, The Madras Journal of Literature and Science, Vol. XVI, No. 38, Vepery: J.P. Bantleman, p. 366, The walls of the vestibule and passage passing round the sanctuary, are covered with compartments holding high reliefs of Buddha seated on a lotus, the stem of which is grasped by two figures wearing wigs and tiaras, canopied by snakes; […]

To go through the canopy of a forest on a zipline.

2013, Tara Morris, “Canopying In Rio Claro,” colombiareports.com, 11 March, 2013, If you’re looking for a little adventure in Colombia, look no further than canopying through Rio Claro’s lush, secluded jungle, located just five hours bus ride from either Medellin or Bogota.

Related terms: canopied, canopy bed

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