Plural of canopy; protective cloth coverings suspended overhead, or the uppermost leafy layer of a forest where trees form a continuous cover.
Plural of 'canopy,' from Greek 'konopeon' (mosquito net) via Old French 'canape.' The forest meaning emerged in ecological terminology in the 20th century, metaphorically comparing tree cover to fabric covering.
When ecologists talk about the 'forest canopy,' they're unconsciously using medieval furniture language—the trees are arranged like cloth draped overhead, which is why this metaphorical use of 'canopy' works so perfectly and naturally to scientists.
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