Words / B2

KANV-uh-s/ˈkænvəs/

Canvas is strong cloth for tents or sails, or the cloth an artist paints on: a canvas tent; oil on canvas. Canvass (two s) means go door to door for votes. Date the canvas in the gallery source. Mix-up: canvass / cannabis. Do not write canvas for a digital JPEG with no cloth.

Meaning

Strong cloth used for tents or sails, or the cloth an artist paints on.

Examples

• “Date the canvas in the gallery source, not a shopping-bag brand.”
• “Party workers will canvass the ward, which is the two-s verb — not the cloth.”

Good to know

oil on canvas; a canvas tent / bag. Verb with two s: canvass (votes). Trap: canvass. Art, history, and design. Strong cloth or a painting surface, not an opinion poll.

New