Canvas

​What do the words canvas and cannabis have in common? Does the word hemp come to mind?
 
The word hemp has its origins in the ancient Scythian and Thracian cultures. The Scythians, a nomadic people, lived in what is now, generally speaking, the Ukraine, southern Russia, Kazakhstan, and other smaller countries north of the Himalayas. The Thracians, generally speaking, lived in what is now the Balkans and surrounding areas.
 
The Scythian word hanapiz (hemp) was adopted without change into Proto-Germanic and evolved into other Germanic languages such as Old Saxon hanap, Old Norse hampr, Old High German hanaf, German Hanf, and Old English haenep—all meaning hemp. Hanapiz is also the source of Armenian kanap, Albanian kanep, Russian konoplja, Persian kanab, and Lithuanian kanapės--all meaning hemp. The word apparently did not change much over time or from place to place—when you’re trading such a valuable and useful product across cultures you want to make sure than everyone is on the same page with the name.
 
Scythian hanapiz migrated to Greek as kannabis (cannabis) and to Latin as cannibus sativa (hemp). The word hemp, meaning the fiber made from the plant, came to English around 1300. The word cannabis came to English in 1798 as the scientific name for the common hemp plant.
 
The use of hemp as a slang term for marijuana is from the 1940s. The word marijuana, by the way, came to English in 1918 from Mexican Spanish marihuana, a word of uncertain origin as the plant is not native to Mexico and any native sources for the word seem unlikely.
 
At last, we get to canvas (a sturdy cloth made from hemp or flax fiber), a word which came to English in the mid-14th century from Old French chanevaz (canvas; made of hemp, hempen), Latin cannapaceus (made of hemp), Latin cannabis, and Greek kannabis (hemp).
 
Reference: Online Etymological Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/
PRESS RELEASE: David Tickner, May I Have A Word With You?
https://www.abbynews.com/entertainment/abbotsford-author-pens-book-about-origins-of-words-from-religion-and-spirituality/ 18 Feb 21