CANVASSES
Noun
canvasses
plural of canvas (UK spelling)
plural of canvass
Verb
canvasses
Third-person singular simple present indicative form of canvas
Third-person singular simple present indicative form of canvass
Source: Wiktionary
CANVAS
Can"vas, n. Etym: [OE. canvas, canevas, F. canevas, LL. canabacius
hempen cloth, canvas, L. cannabis hemp, fr. G. Hemp.]
1. A strong cloth made of hemp, flax, or cotton; -- used for tents,
sails, etc.
By glimmering lanes and walls of canvas led. Tennyson.
2.
(a) A coarse cloth so woven as to form regular meshes for working
with the needle, as in tapestry, or worsted work.
(b) A piece of strong cloth of which the surface has been prepared to
receive painting, commonly painting in oil.
History . . . does not bring out clearly upon the canvas the details
which were familiar. J. H. Newman.
3. Something for which canvas is used: (a) A sail, or a collection of
sails. (b) A tent, or a collection of tents. (c) A painting, or a
picture on canvas.
To suit his canvas to the roughness of the see. Goldsmith.
Light, rich as that which glows on the canvas of Claude. Macaulay.
4. A rough draft or model of a song, air, or other literary or
musical composition; esp. one to show a poet the measure of the
verses he is to make. Grabb.
Can"vas, a.
Definition: Made of, pertaining to, or resembling, canvas or coarse cloth;
as, a canvas tent.
CANVASS
Can"vass, v. t. [imp. & p. p. canvassed; p. pr. & vb. n. Canvassing.]
Etym: [OF. Canabasser to examine curiously, to search or sift out;
properly, to sift through canvas. See Canvas, n.]
1. To sift; to strain; to examine thoroughly; to scrutinize; as, to
canvass the votes cast at an election; to canvass a district with
reference to its probable vote.
I have made careful search on all hands, and canvassed the matter
with all possible diligence. Woodward.
2. To examine by discussion; to debate.
An opinion that we are likely soon to canvass. Sir W. Hamilton.
3. To go trough, with personal solicitation or public addresses; as,
to canvass a district for votes; to canvass a city for subscriptions.
Can"vass, v. i.
Definition: To search thoroughly; to engage in solicitation by traversing a
district; as, to canvass for subscriptions or for votes; to canvass
for a book, a publisher, or in behalf of a charity; -- commonly
followed by for.
Can"vass, n.
1. Close inspection; careful review for verification; as, a canvass
of votes. Bacon.
2. Examination in the way of discussion or debate.
3. Search; exploration; solicitation; systematic effort to obtain
votes, subscribers, etc.
No previous canvass was made for me. Burke.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition