canvass
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈkænvəs/
ipa: /ˈkænvəs/
ipa: [ˈkɛənvəs]
ipa: /ˈkænvəs/
ipa: /ˈkɛnvəs/
homophone: canvas
Forms: form: canvasses
form: canvassing
form: canvassed
form: canvassed
form: canvas
Etymology: The verb is derived from canvas (“type of coarse cloth woven from hemp”). The connection between “to toss (someone) in a (canvas) sheet; (by extension) to batter, beat, or thrash (someone or something); etc.” and “to seek the support of voters or a constituency in a forthcoming election or poll” is not entirely clear.
The noun is derived from the verb. It has been suggested that noun sense 4.2 (“rejection (at an election, of a suit, etc.)”) may refer to the canvas bag used by journeymen mechanics which they used to pack up their tools after they had completed their jobs, in which case it is not derived from the verb but directly from canvas (noun).
Senses: examples: text: And with the aunſwere here vpon eftſoones in hand they go, / The doubtfull wordes wherof they ſcan and canuas to and fro.
ref: 1567, Ovid, “The First Booke”, in Arthur Golding, transl., The XV. Bookes of P. Ouidius Naso, Entytuled Metamorphosis, […], London: […] Willyam Seres […], →OCLC, folio 7, recto:
text: Vpon feſtiuall dayes he goes to Court, & ſalutes without reſaluting: at night in an Ordinary he canuaſſeth the buſineſſe in hand, and ſeems as conuerſant with all intents and plots as if he begot them.
ref: 1612 (date written), Thomas Ouerbury [i.e. Thomas Overbury] or John Webster, “Characters. Or, Witty Descriptions of the Properties of Sundry Persons. An Affectate Traueller.”, in Sir Thomas Ouerbury His Wife. […], 14th edition, London: […] Robert Allot, […], published 1630, →OCLC:
text: [T]aking ſome things vpon the report of my Sences, & vvorking out other things that vvere of a mixt nature, by way of Dialogue with mine ovvne ſelfe; yea and taking particular notice and tale of the Reporters themſelues; & anon throughly canuaſſing ouer thoſe other things layd vp in the large treaſury of my memory, ſtoring vp ſome of them there againe, and for my vſe dravving out the reſt.
ref: 1631, Saint Augustine, “His Striuing against Sinne”, in William Watts, transl., Saint Augustines Confessions Translated: […], London: […] Iohn Norton, for Iohn Partridge […], →OCLC, book 10, paragraph 1, pages 709–710:
text: Look into the vvord of God, and you ſhall find that it hath very much exerciſed the thoughts of the righteous, and Seneca the Philoſopher, canvaſſeth this grand Caſe, how it ſhould come to paſs that the vvicked proſpered.
ref: 1676, John Wilson, “Sermon II. Psalm 73. 23, 24, 25, 26.”, in The Vanity of Mans Present State Proved and Applyed, in a Sermon on Psalm 39. 5. […], London: […] Samuel Sprint, […], →OCLC, page 78:
text: I have made careful ſearch on all hands, and canvaſs’d the Matter with all poſſible Diligence, […]
ref: 1695, John Woodward, “Part V. Of the Alterations which the Terraqueous Globe hath Undergone since the Time of the Deluge.”, in An Essay toward a Natural History of the Earth: And Terrestrial Bodies, Especially Minerals: […], London: […] Ric[hard] Wilkin […], →OCLC, page 228:
text: They think marriage with a worthy man of your own faith, would tend to eſtabliſh it. You think aſſuming the veil the only expedient. This ſubject has been much canvaſſed.
ref: 1753 (indicated as 1754), [Samuel Richardson], “Letter L. Lady Grandison. In Continuation.”, in The History of Sir Charles Grandison. […], 2nd edition, volume VI, London: […] S[amuel] Richardson; [a]nd sold by C. Hitch and L. Hawes, […], →OCLC, page 249:
text: Nay, Mr. Lorraine, you ought to canvass me; do you not know that all the gracious countenance Lady Mandeville can extend is mine by pledge and promise? I do not know whether I will allow her to grant the light of her favour to any rival next season—more especially to one so dangerous to the undivided effect I mean to produce, as this beautiful and interesting unknown.
ref: 1831, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter IX, in Romance and Reality. […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 185:
text: They [some philosophers] hold that we have an immediate knowledge of external objects, but they hold that these objects are beyond the sphere of consciousness. This is an opinion we are, likewise, soon to canvass.
ref: 1859, William Hamilton, “Lecture XI. Outine of Distribution of Mental Phænomena: Consciousness,—Its Special Conditions.”, in H[enry] L[ongueville] Mansel and John Veitch, editors, Lectures on Metaphysics and Logic […], volume I, Edinburgh; London: William Blackwood and Sons, →OCLC, page 202:
text: How old this question was and how thoughtfully it had been canvassed we were not aware until we turned up a discussion dating from the early eighteenth century which may prove as fresh and interesting to some of our readers as it did to us.
ref: 1920 January, Keith Preston, “Translations and Translators”, in Frank J[ustus] Miller, Arthur T. Walker, editors, The Classical Journal, volume XV, number 4, Chicago, Ill.: Classical Association of the Middle West and South with the co-operation of the Classical Association of New England and the Classical Association of the Pacific States; University of Chicago Press, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 242:
glosses: To thoroughly examine or investigate (something) physically or by discussion; to debate, to gather opinion, to scrutinize.
examples: text: The poll was cloſed when the Court thought they had the majority: But upon caſting it up it appeared they had loſt it: So they fell to canvaſs it: And they made ſuch exceptions to thoſe of the other ſide, that they diſcounted as many voices as gave them the majority.
ref: a. 1716 (date written), [Gilbert] Burnet, “Book III. Of the Rest of King Charles II’s Reign, from the Year 1673 to the Year 1685, in which He Died.”, in [Gilbert Burnet Jr.], editor, Bishop Burnet’s History of His Own Time. […], volume I, London: […] Thomas Ward […], published 1724, →OCLC, page 530:
text: Teams of two people - called “canvassing teams” - review ballots and the envelopes with the ballots inside.
ref: 2024, State of Maryland, Maryland State Board of Elections, retrieved 18 Oct 2024:
topics: government
politics
qualifier: obsolete except US
glosses: To scrutinize (the ballot in an election or the votes cast) and reject irregular votes; also, to challenge or dispute (an election result).
examples: text: The police are canvassing the neighbourhood for information about the missing child.
text: He who ſcorned to ſave his life by bending the will of the ſon, was not likely to canvaſs the favour of the father, by proſtituting his pen to the humour of the court.
ref: 1768, Horace Walpole, “The Murder of His Brother Clarence”, in Historic Doubts on the Life and Reign of King Richard the Third, London: […] J[ames] Dodsley […], →OCLC, page 19:
text: The quality of citizen of Athens was ſometimes granted in honour and gratitude to thoſe who merited well of the ſtate, as to Hippocrates the phyſician; and even kings ſometimes canvaſſed that title for themſelves and their children.
ref: 1774, [Oliver] Goldsmith, “A Short Survey of the State of Greece Previous to the Persian War”, in The Grecian History, from the Earliest State to the Death of Alexander the Great, volume I, London: […] J[ohn] and F[rancis] Rivington, […], →OCLC, pages 74–75:
text: Buxton: A survey of 3,000 users of the Monsal Trail has revealed 98% support for the rebuilding of the railway to Matlock. The Manchester & East Midlands Rail Action partnership has been leafleting homes to canvass support for its reopening campaign.
ref: 2023 January 11, Howard Johnston, “Regional News: North West”, in RAIL, number 974, page 18:
glosses: To seek or solicit donations, information, opinions, support, etc. from (people or a place)
examples: text: The electoral candidate canvassed the district for votes.
text: He said, that in the next parliament it was probable that he should canvass the county, and he hoped to get Pendennis’s interest here.
ref: 1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, “A House Full of Visitors”, in The History of Pendennis. […], volume I, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1849, →OCLC, page 251:
topics: government
politics
glosses: To seek the support of (voters or a constituency) in a forthcoming election or poll through personal solicitation or public addresses.
examples: text: Thou that giu'ſt VVhores Indulgences to ſinne, / Ile canuas thee in thy broad Cardinalls Hat, / If thou proceed in this thy inſolence.
ref: 1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii], page 99, column 1:
glosses: To toss (someone) in a (canvas) sheet for fun or as a punishment; to blanket.
examples: text: But nowe the Meſſenger that was thus ſent to the Lorde Hume [Alexander Home, 5th Lord Home], comming to him declared in what caſe hys houſe and people ſtoode, who beeing (as was ſuppoſed) not ſo farre off, but that he might heare howe luſtily the Engliſhe Canons did canuas and batter his Humiſhe Caſtell Walles, did nowe agree to meete the Marshall maiſter Drurie [William Drury] two myles diſtant from the ſayde Caſtell, and there to common further with him in that matter.
ref: 1577, Raphaell Holinshed, “Queene Elizabeth”, in The Laste Volume of the Chronicles of England, Scotlande, and Irelande […], volume II, London: […] for Iohn Hunne, →OCLC, pages 1844–1845:
glosses: To batter, beat, or thrash (someone or something).
glosses: To assail or attack (someone or something).
examples: text: So voluntarily, so freely, so coolly to canvass it!
ref: 1814 May 9, [Jane Austen], chapter XVI, in Mansfield Park: […], volume III, London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, page 313:
glosses: To severely criticize (a person, a written work, etc.).
examples: text: I pulled down to Mr. Turnbull's, and told him my good and bad fortune. It being late, he ordered me some dinner in his study, and we sat there canvassing over the affair.
ref: 1834, [Frederick Marryat], chapter III, in Jacob Faithful […], volume III, London: Saunders and Otley, […], →OCLC, page 49:
glosses: To debate, to discuss.
examples: text: [T]o saile surely in the deepe sea of divine Philosophie, wee ought to take wary heede to flie, more then Scylla and Charibdis, the Conversation of men, as they did not only getting themselves out of the prease of people, but setting light by, and refusing the government of common weales, and those chief honours and offices which ambitious men goe all day long with great labour and are canuassing and crauing for
ref: 1581, Steven Guazzo [i.e., Stefano Guazzo], “Guazzo Anniball”, in George Pettie, transl., edited by Charles Whibley, The Civile Conversation of M. Steeven Guazzo […] (The Tudor Translations, Second Series; VII), volume I, London: Constable and Co.; New York, N.Y.: Alfred A[braham] Knopf, published 1925, →OCLC, 1st book, pages 25–26:
text: Queene Elizabeth, being to reſolue vpon a great Officer, and being by ſome, that canuaſſed for others, put in ſome doubt of that perſon, vvhõ ſhe meant to aduance, […]
ref: 1625, Francis [Bacon], “[Apophthegm 65]”, in Apophthegmes New and Old. […], London: […] Hanna Barret, and Richard Whittaker, […], →OCLC, pages 83–84:
text: [T]he nature of man, created after the Image of God, I mean, his Reaſonable nature, hath ſuch an agreement and liking to all that is ſubſtantially and really good, (ſuch are all the Commands of the Natural and Chriſtian Law) that it ſtill canvaſeth on that ſide, and ſolicites the will to embrace the good, and prefer it before the pleaſurable evil; […]
ref: a. 1661 (date written), H[enry] Hammond, “Sect IV. Of the Holy Catholick Church.”, in A Practical Catechism […], 7th edition, London: […] J. F. for R[ichard] Royston, […], published 1662, →OCLC, book V, page 354:
text: ADAM BERENDT, who canvassed through Rockland County on behalf of education, environmental, and gun control bond issues.
ref: 2001, Joyce Carol Oates, “Prologue: Fourth of July”, in Middle Age: A Romance, New York, N.Y.: Ecco, →ISBN, section 7, page 5:
glosses: To seek or solicit donations, information, opinions, support, etc.; to conduct a survey.
examples: text: [H]e endeavoured by his Agents to be choſe a Burgeſs for the Univerſity of Oxon, to ſerve in that Parliament vvhich began at VVeſtm[inster] 25 Apr. 1660, as at one or tvvo places beſides, vvhere he had canvas'd for votes; […]
ref: 1691, [Anthony Wood], “WILLIAM LENTHALL”, in Athenæ Oxonienses. An Exact History of All the Writers and Bishops who have had Their Education in the Most Ancient and Famous University of Oxford from the Fifteenth Year of King Henry the Seventh, Dom. 1500, to the End of the Year 1690. […], volume II (Completing the Whole Work), London: […] Tho[mas] Bennet […], →OCLC, column 204:
text: Indeed, I know nothing ſo abject as the behaviour of a man canvaſſing for a ſeat in parliament— […]
ref: 1771, [Tobias Smollett], “To Dr. Lewis”, in The Expedition of Humphry Clinker […], volume I, London: […] W. Johnston, […]; and B. Collins, […], →OCLC, page 160:
text: "Don't you remember, too, at the last election here," said Caroline, "how the fine ladies from the Castle came and canvassed for Colonel Rosemary?"
ref: 1845, B[enjamin] Disraeli, chapter VIII, in Sybil; or The Two Nations. […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, book VI, pages 233–234:
topics: government
politics
glosses: To seek the support of voters or a constituency in a forthcoming election or poll; to campaign.
Derived terms: word: canvasser
word: canvassing
word: recanvass