▪ I. canvass, canvas, v.
(ˈkænvəs)
Forms: 6 kanivas(se, kanvas, 6–7 canuas(e, canvase, canuasse, canvasse, (6 canvaze, canvisse, canuize, 7 canvise, canvize, canvace), 6–8 canvas, 6– canvass.
[f. canvas n., in its former spelling canvass, and some of its special senses. The development of senses 1–5 is plain enough, starting from the literal notion of ‘toss in a sheet’, whence ‘shake up, toss to and fro (agitare), discuss, etc.; but that of the intrans. 6, which appears early, has not been explained. The two notions subsequently influenced each other, and produced connecting usages.
Johnson says ‘from canvass as it signifies a sieve’: cf. canvas n. 2; but no clear example of the vb. in the literal sense ‘sift or winnow’ has occurred. Yet Cotgrave's explanation of F. vanner ‘to vanne or winnow..also to course, chide, canuasse, bayt..rake up scoffingly the faults or imperfections of others’, affords an analogy for such a development; not so the case of berner ‘to vanne or winnow corne, also to canuasse or tosse in a siue (a punishment)’, which points to the development in 1–4 below. With Johnson's derivation agrees his explanation ‘to try votes previously to the decisive act’, but this is not historically the original sense of 6, and is either a conjectural explanation, or at most a mixing up of the notions of soliciting and of discussing or investigating. The trans. sense in ‘to canvass the constituency’ is quite late.]
† 1. trans. To toss in a canvas sheet, etc., as a sport or punishment; to blanket. Obs.
| 1508 Dk. Buckhm's Acc. in Brewer Calendar 497 To a child of the kitchen being kanivassed before my Lord. 1530 Palsgr. 596, I kanvas a dogge or a matter, je trafficque. 1591 Shakes. 1 Hen. VI, i. iii. 36 Ile canuas thee in thy broad Cardinalls Hat, If thou proceed in this thy insolence [cf. 2 Hen. IV, ii. iv. 243]. 1611 Cotgr., Berner (see above). |
† 2. transf. To knock about, shake and shatter thoroughly; to buffet; to beat, batter, drub. Obs.
| 1573 Rastell 12 Jests of Widow Edyth xii. H iij b, I should canuas thee, and make thee lame. 1577 Holinshed Chron. IV. 242 How lustilie the English canons did canvass and batter his castell walles. 1612 Warner Alb. Eng. ii. vii. 27 Hercules did canuase so his carkas. 1643 Subj. of Supremacie, etc. 57 To play..at the cudgels, to canvase one another with crosse blowes. |
† b. To subject to attack or assault. Cf. canvass n. 2. Obs.
| 1599 Hayward 1st Pt. Hen. IV, 53 The north parts were many times canvased, and..almost consumed by the Scots. |
† 3. fig. To buffet or ‘thrash’ (a person) in writing; to criticize destructively and unsparingly.
| 1590 Greene Never too late (1600) 64 Some..haue for their satirical inuectiues been wel canuased. 1611 Cotgr. s.v. Berné, He hath beene throughly canvassed; (a phrase most commonly applied to an ignorant or dull-headed fellow, that hath prouoked a learned penne, or tongue, to fall aboord him). 1618 Barnevelt's Apol. D ij, I leaue him to your learned penne: canuase him according to his merits. |
† b. To pull to pieces, criticize or discuss destructively (a writing, etc.). Obs.
| 1577 tr. Bullinger's Decades (1592) 165 Therfore did the Gentiles bait and canuase it too and fro with wonderful preatie quippes. 1589 Nashe in Greene Menaph. (Arb.) Ded., Some desperate quipper will canvaze my proposed comparison. 1615 Luther's Comm. 1 Pet. v. 51 These words have been so canvassed and wrested by my Lord the Pope. |
4. fig. To shake out or discuss (a subject or matter), so that its parts may be thoroughly investigated; to discuss, criticize, scrutinize fully.
| 1530 Palsgr. 596/2 This mater hath be canvassed in dede. 1573 G. Harvey Letter-bk. (1884) 11 Sutch matters have bene thurrouly canvissid long ago. 1662 J. Bargrave Pope Alex. VII (1867) 15 Canvacing many titles, at length they pitched upon Eminency. 1753 Richardson Grandison (1781) VI. xvii. 67 They canvassed the matter, with..much good-natured earnestness. 1798 Dallas Amer. Law Rep. II. 343 An opportunity to canvass the character of the witnesses. 1845 Disraeli Sybil (1863) 261 It was canvassed and criticised sentence by sentence. 1864 Fraser's Mag. Apr. 487 Clubs where the reputations of men are coolly canvassed. |
† b. To investigate or examine physically. Obs.
| 1622–62 Heylin Cosmogr. iv. (1682) 105 Having thoroughly canvassed all the Eastern Shores, he turned his course. |
† c. ‘To discuss’ (a dish). Obs.
| 1602 Return fr. Parnass. ii. vi. (Arb.) 33, I inuited the hungry slaue..to the canuasing of a Turkey pie. |
d. intr. To debate; to discuss.
| 1631 Heylyn St. George 40 That he should neyther canvasse over idle Pamphlets, nor give beleefe to old wives Fables. a 1766 F. Sheridan Sidney Bidulph (1767) V. 169 Having canvassed over the first part of Sir George's letter. 1794 Godwin Cal. Williams 272, I canvassed for a moment whether I should make use of this. 1835 Marryat Jac. Faith. xxxii, We sat there canvassing over the affair. |
e. trans. To scrutinize, so as to reject bad votes. Cf. canvasser d. Obs. exc. U.S.
| 1715 Burnet Own Time (1766) II. 182 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. 1778 Laws State N.Y. c. 16 §9 The said joint Committee..[shall] canvas and estimate the Votes. 1792 Jay Corr. (1891) III. 428 Tiogo will most probably not be canvassed, as the box was delivered by a person deputed by a deputy. 1888 Bryce Amer. Commw. II. App. 682 The officers..whose duty it is..to receive and canvass the returns from the several precincts of their respective counties..must then and there proceed to canvass the returns. 1947 Chicago Daily News 17 Jan. 14/2 When the popular votes for governor are canvassed by the legislature only a candidate with a majority of all the votes shall be qualified. |
† 5. ? To bargain or deal with; to sound or try as to their expectations. Obs.
| 1688 Evelyn Mem. (1857) III. 289 The hero [William III] is now at St. James's..By what I collect, the ambitious and the covetous will be canvassed for places of honour, and rich employment. |
6. intr. To solicit; esp. to solicit votes or support previously to an election; also, to solicit support, contributions, orders for goods, etc. (Johnson says ‘To try votes previously to the decisive act’.)
| a 1555 Latimer Serm. & Rem. (1845) 296 This object is so seriously taken up, and canvassed for..in so eager or rather so ardent a spirit. a 1626 Bacon (J.) Elizabeth being to resolve upon an officer, and being by some that canvassed for others, put in some doubt of that person she meant to advance. 1660 Hammond Wks. IV. 510 (R.) He that should give his voice unto Christ, because there was no body else to canvass for it. 1681 Temple Mem. iii. Wks. 1731 I. 342 Every one began to canvas for Elections in the ensuing Parliament. 1726 Ayliffe Parerg. 119 This crime of canvassing or solliciting for Church-Preferment 1824 S. E. Ferrier Inher. xv, She had begun to canvass with her brother and uncle, to bespeak their votes. 1831–55 Brewster Newton II. xix. 215 Unwilling to canvass personally for a seat in the new Parliament. |
7. trans. † a. To sue for or solicit (a thing). Obs.
| 1768 H. Walpole Hist. Doubts Pref. 19 He..was not likely to canvass the favour of the father by prostituting his pen to the humour of the court. a 1774 Goldsm. Hist. Greece I. 75 Even kings sometimes canvassed that title [‘citizen of Athens’] for themselves and their children. |
b. To sue or solicit (persons, a district) for votes, subscriptions, custom, orders, etc.; esp. to solicit the support of a constituency, by going through and interviewing the individual electors; to ascertain by this means the number of one's supporters.
| 1812 Examiner 5 Oct. 638/1 His inability to canvas the Livery in person. 1844 H. H. Wilson Brit. India I. 161 Mr. Paull, having canvassed unsuccessfully the borough of Westminster, ceased to be a member. 1855 Motley Dutch Rep. (1861) II. 293 His most trustworthy agent..was now actively canvassing the governments and peoples of Germany. 1873 Burton Hist. Scot. VI. lxxi. 236 Having canvassed the town and county of Aberdeen [for]..adherents to the Covenant. |
▪ II. canvass, n.
(ˈkænvəs)
Forms: 6 canvace, 7 -uasse, -uase, -vase, 7–8 canvas, 7– canvass.
[f. prec. vb., the spelling of which it retains.]
† 1. A shaking up; a tossing up and down. Obs.
| 1611 Cotgr., Demenée.. a tumble tosse, canuasse. |
† 2. a. A shock; esp. that of a sudden attack or surprise. Cf. canvasado.
| 1611 Cotgr., Camisade, a camisado, canuas, or cold Pie; a suddain assaulting, or surprisall of the enemie. 1627 F. E. Hist. Edw. II (1680) 69 Levies..sufficient to give a Canvas to the Royal Army. |
† b. In Fencing. = canvasado 3. Obs.
| a 1641 Bp. R. Montagu Acts & Mon. 184 For it is the sorest canvase, that can be giuen an opposite, to beat him at his owne weapon. |
† 3. Repulse, rejection (e.g. at an election, in a suit). Phrase, to have or receive the canvass. Obs.
| 1621 Burton Anat. Mel. i. ii. iii. xi, If he chance to miss and have a canvass, he is in hell on the other side. Ibid. ii. iii. vii. (1651) 352 But why shouldst thou take thy neglect, thy Canvas so to heart? It may be thou art not fit. 1626 Shirley Brothers ii. i, I have promised him As much as marriage comes to; and I lose My honour if my Don receive the canvas. |
† 4. Examination of the ‘pros and cons’; full discussion. ? Obs.
| 1608–11 Bp. Hall Epist. v. iv. (1627) 369 Learned canuases of the deepe points of diuinitie. a 1687 H. More Pre-exist. Soul Pref., I deem it worthy the canvass and discussion of sober and considerate men. |
5. a. The action or process of personally soliciting votes before an election; including the notion of ascertaining the amount of support which a candidate may count upon. (Johnson makes it ‘The act of sifting voices, or trying them previously to the decisive act of voting’, but of this, apart from the actual solicitation of votes, there is no clear evidence. The first quot. is obscure, and may belong elsewhere, e.g. to canvas n. 6.)
| [1612 Bacon Cunning, Ess. (Arb.) 435 There are some that are good in Canuasses & factions, that are otherwise weake men.] 1691 Wood Ath. Oxon. I./846 In the election..was the greatest canvas..in the memory of Man. 1788 Ld. Sheffield in Ld. Auckland's Corr. (1861) II. 222 In short their success on the canvass quite astonished them. 1791 Mackintosh Parl. Suffrage Wks. 1846 III. 229 Candidates and their..agents in every street during an active canvass. 1844 Disraeli Coningsby v. iv. 201 The results of the two canvasses were such as had been anticipated. |
| attrib. 1881 Daily News 21 Jan. 5/4 It had never been their custom to preserve canvass books. |
b. A scrutiny of votes in an election. U.S.
| 1778 Laws State N.Y. c. 16 §9 To determine upon such Canvas and Estimate. 1888 Bryce Amer. Commw. II. App. 682 If all the returns have not been received, the canvass must be postponed... Upon the completion of said canvass and returns, the said Board shall immediately certify the same. 1903 N.Y. Sun 20 Nov. 5 The official canvass of the vote in the borough of Brooklyn was practically finished yesterday. |
6. A solicitation of support, custom, etc.
| 1790 Burke Fr. Rev. 219 The other mode of ecclesiastical canvas, subjects them [bishoprics and cures] infinitely more surely and more generally to all the evil arts of low ambition. 1817 Coleridge Biog. Lit. 78 One gentleman procured me nearly a hundred names for The Friend and..took frequent opportunity to remind me of his success in his canvass. 1846 Prescott Ferd. & Is. I. vi. 290 Honours, which had before been..made the subject of a furious canvass. |