n., pl., -pies.
- A covering, usually of cloth, suspended over a throne or bed or held aloft on poles above an eminent person or a sacred object.
- Architecture. An ornamental rooflike projection over a niche, altar, or tomb.
- A protective rooflike covering, often of canvas, mounted on a frame over a walkway or door.
- A high overarching covering, such as the sky: "I just look up at the stars and let the vastness of that black and twinkling canopy fill my soul" (Margaret Mason).
- The uppermost layer in a forest, formed by the crowns of the trees. Also called crown canopy.
- The transparent enclosure over the cockpit of an aircraft.
- The part of a parachute that opens up to catch the air.
To cover with or as if with a canopy.
[Middle English canape, from Medieval Latin canāpēum, mosquito net, from Latin cōnōpēum, from Greek kōnōpeion, bed with mosquito netting, from kōnōps, kōnōp-, mosquito.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
