Can"o*py (kăn"&osl;*p&ybreve;),
n.; pl. Canopies (-
p&ibreve;z). [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.
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.
Can"o*py, v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Canopes (?); p. pr. & vb.
n. Canopying.] To cover with, or as with, a
canopy. "A bank with ivy canopied."
Milton.
