canvas

(kănˈvəs)

1. A heavy, coarse, closely woven fabric of cotton, hemp, or flax, used for tents and sails.
2. a. A piece of such fabric on which a painting, especially an oil painting, is executed.
   b. A painting executed on such fabric.
3. A fabric of coarse open weave, used as a foundation for needlework.
4. The background against which events unfold, as in a historical narrative: a grim portrait of despair against the bright canvas of the postwar economy.
5. Nautical A sail or set of sails.
6. a. A tent or group of tents.
   b. A circus tent.
7. Sports The floor of a ring in which boxing or wrestling takes place.