Editing Canvas (section)

{{Short description|Extremely heavy-duty plain-woven fabric}}{{Distinguish|Canvassing}}{{About|the fabric}}
[[File:Sjömanssäck - 1991.jpg|thumb|Sailor bag made of canvas]]
[[File:MetroBrussel Erasmus.jpg|thumb|Canvas roof at the [[Erasmus metro station|Erasmus station]] of the [[Brussels Metro]]]]
[[File:Bitwa pod Grunwaldem Muzeum Narodowe 05.JPG|thumb|300px|One of [[Poland]]'s biggest canvas paintings, the ''[[Battle of Grunwald (painting)|Battle of Grunwald]]'', 1878, by [[Jan Matejko]] (426 cm × 987 cm (168 in × 389 in)), displayed in the [[National Museum, Warsaw|National Museum]] in [[Warsaw]]<ref name=warsawtour1>{{cite web |title=National Museum (Muzeum Narodowe) |url=http://www.warsawtour.pl/en/tourist-attractions/national-museum-muzeum-narodowe-1873.html |work=www.warsawtour.pl |access-date=20 October 2013 |quote=the largest Polish painting "Battle of Grunwald" by Jan Matejko (426 x 987 cm). |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131007071641/http://www.warsawtour.pl/en/tourist-attractions/national-museum-muzeum-narodowe-1873.html |archive-date=7 October 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>]]
'''Canvas''' is an extremely durable [[Plain weave|plain-woven]] [[Cloth|fabric]] used for making [[sail]]s, [[tent]]s, [[Tent#Marquees and larger tents|marquees]], [[backpack]]s, [[Shelter (building)|shelters]], as a [[Support (art)|support]] for [[oil painting]] and for other items for which sturdiness is required, as well as in such fashion objects as handbags, electronic device cases, and shoes. It is popularly used by artists as a painting surface, typically stretched across a wooden frame.

Although historically made from [[hemp]], modern canvas is usually made of [[cotton]], [[linen]], or sometimes [[polyvinyl chloride]] (PVC).  It differs from other heavy cotton fabrics, such as [[denim]], in being [[plain weave]] rather than [[Twill|twill weave]]. Canvas comes in two basic types: plain and [[Cotton duck|duck]]. The threads in duck canvas are more tightly woven. The term ''duck'' comes from the [[Dutch language|Dutch]] word for cloth, ''doek''.  In the [[United States]], canvas is classified in two ways: by weight (ounces per square yard) and by a graded number system. The numbers run in reverse of the weight so a number 10 canvas is lighter than number 4.

The word "canvas" is derived from the 13th century [[Anglo-Norman language|Anglo-French]] ''canevaz'' and the [[Old French]] ''canevas''. Both may be derivatives of the [[Vulgar Latin]] ''cannapaceus'' for "made of [[hemp]]", originating from the Greek {{lang|grc|κάνναβις}} ([[cannabis]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=canvas |title=The Online Etymology Dictionary |publisher=Etymonline.com |access-date=2012-05-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/canvas |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130313232313/http://oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/canvas |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 13, 2013 |title=Oxford Dictionaries |publisher=Oxford University Press |access-date=2014-03-01}}</ref>