Canopy, Canape

Picture The word canopy comes from an ancient Egyptian word konops (mosquito) and Greek konopeion (an Egyptian couch with mosquito curtains).
 
The word canopy, meaning a suspended covering serving as a protection or shelter, came to English in the late 14th century from Old French conope (bed-curtain) and Latin conopeum (mosquito curtain).
 
The word canape in French, Spanish, and Portuguese, meaning a sofa or couch, comes from Greek konopeion (Egyptian couch). Italian canape is borrowed from French.
 
What does the English word canape (hors d’hoeuvre), from 1750, have to do with a couch or a sofa? The short answer is that a canape was a before dinner snack served to guests sitting on the couches in the lounge before they were called into the dining room for dinner.
 
In its origins, the French term hors d’oeuvre meant ‘out of the ordinary’ or ‘apart from the main work’.  Hors d’oeuvres came to English in 1714 meaning outside of the ordinary courses of a meal or apart from the main meal.
 
Reference: Online Etymological Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/
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Published on August 07, 2022 13:11
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