Canopy | n.; pl. Canopies [ OE. canapie, F. canapé sofa, OF. conopée, conopeu, conopieu, canopy, vail, pavilion (cf. It. canopè canopy, sofa), LL. conopeum a bed with mosquito curtains, fr. Gr. kwnwpei^on, fr. kw`nwps gnat, kw`nos cone + 'w`ps face. See Cone, and Optic. ] 1. A covering fixed over a bed, dais, or the like, or carried on poles over an exalted personage or a sacred object, etc. chiefly as a mark of honor. “Golden canopies and beds of state.” Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ] 2. (Arch.) (a) An ornamental projection, over a door, window, niche, etc. (b) Also, a rooflike covering, supported on pillars over an altar, a statue, a fountain, etc. [ 1913 Webster ] |