The verb "canvass" refers to the act of soliciting votes, opinions, or support from a group of people. It is spelled with two "n"s and two "s"s, which reflects the pronunciation of the word. In IPA phonetic transcription, it is written as /ˈkæn.vəs/, where the symbol "ə" represents the unstressed schwa sound. The "k" at the beginning of the word is also silent, which further demonstrates the complexity of English spelling and pronunciation.
Canvass is a verb that refers to the act of systematically and thoroughly examining, investigating, or discussing a particular topic, issue, or area. It involves exploring a subject in detail, often through active and deliberate inquiry or survey.
In a political context, canvassing refers to the practice of going door-to-door or approaching individuals directly to gather support or information. It includes engaging with potential voters face-to-face, discussing political platforms, and promoting a candidate or a cause. Canvassing is commonly used during election campaigns to build awareness, gauge public opinion, and encourage voter turnout.
Outside of politics, canvass can also refer to conducting market research or gathering data and opinions from a target audience for business purposes. It involves systematic questioning, interviewing, or analyzing to obtain insights into customer preferences, buying behavior, or market trends. Businesses often rely on canvassing to assess potential demand, refine marketing strategies, or develop new products.
The term "canvass" can also be used in the context of seeking opinions, ideas, or suggestions from a group of people. For instance, a company may canvass its employees to generate innovative solutions for a problem. This process typically involves soliciting feedback, facilitating discussions, and considering different viewpoints to arrive at a consensus or informed decision.
Overall, canvass signifies a deliberate and structured approach to examine, engage, and obtain information or support relating to a particular subject or objective.
• To discuss; to examine into; to solicit votes or interest; to make interest in favour of.
• A close inspection into; discussion; debate; a seeking; a solicitation.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "canvass" has its origins in the Latin word "cannapaceus", which derives from "canna", meaning "canvas cloth", and "paceus", meaning "made of". It then evolved in the late 16th century into the English word "canvass", referring to the canvas fabric used for sails, tents, and other purposes. Over time, the meaning of "canvass" expanded to include the process of seeking votes or opinions through direct personal inquiry or thorough examination, which is its most common usage today.