Canvasback
/ˈkænvəsˌbæk/noun
A large North American diving duck with a sloping forehead and reddish head.
Did you know?The name appears to come from the bird’s pale, canvas-colored back, not from any ancient ritual or occult source, but it still shows how everyday animal names can be born from striking visual metaphor.
Etymological Timeline
Late 18th Century
English
canvas-back
“A North American duck noted for its pale back, named by English speakers in colonial America.”
Middle English
English
canvaz
“Coarse cloth made from hemp or flax, later spelled canvas.”
Old North French
French
canevas
“Coarse cloth or canvas.”
Late Latin
Latin
cannapaceus
“Hemp cloth; something made of hemp.”
Proto-Italic
PIE
“A prehistory ultimately connected with hemp through the Indo-European root behind Latin cannabis.”