Forms: (6 canara), 6–7 canarie, (7 canari, cannaries, 8 kanary, canario), 7– canary. [a. F. Canarie, ad. Sp. Canāria, in L. Canāria insula ‘Isle of Dogs’ one of the Fortunate Isles, so called from its large dogs (canāri-us of or pertaining to dogs, f. can-is dog, Pliny), whence Canāriæ insulæ as the name of the group in Arnobius c. 300.]
The name of an island (Gran Canaria) on the west coast of Africa, and of the group Canary Isles or Canaries, to which it belongs. Hence in various uses, originally attrib., but subseq. taken as sbs.
1. A lively Spanish dance, the idea of which is said to have been derived from the aborigines of the Canary Islands. In early use generally plural.
1592. Nashe, P. Penilesse (ed. 2), 18 b. As gingerly as if she were dancing the Canaries.
1601. Shaks., All’s Well, II. i. 77. A medicine That’s able to breath life into a stone … and make you dance Canari.
1606. Dekker, Sev. Sins, III. (Arb.), 27. They would make all the Hogges-heads that vse to come to the house, to daunce the Cannaries till they reeld againe.
1655. trans. Sorel’s Com. Hist. Francion, VII. 5. I played the Canaries, which almost all the company danced.
1772–84. Cook, Voy. (1790), II. 413. The canario, first used by the Canarians.
1789. Burney, Hist. Mus., III. vii. 488. Country-dance and canaries.
1862. Athenæum, 25 Jan., 11/3. Pécour it was who invented the ‘Canary,’ a very lively dance, something like our Sir Roger de Coverley.
1879. Grove, Dict. Mus., I. 302/1. Canarie. A now antiquated dance.
attrib. 1609. Ev. Woman in Hum., I. i. in Bullen, O. Pl., IV. 307. Another as she goes treads a Canarie pace.
1789. Burney, Hist. Mus. (ed. 2), IV. ii. 89. Sometimes the canary and sometimes the courant step.
† 2. = Canary wine, a light sweet wine from the Canary Islands. Formerly also in pl. Obs.
1597. Shaks., 2 Hen. IV., II. iv. 29. You haue drunke too much Canaries. Ibid. (1601), Twel. N., I. iii. 85. Thou lack’st a cup of Canarie.
1641. Brome, Joviall Crew, IV. i. Wks. 1873, III. 418. Good old Canary, I assure you.
1667. Lond. Gaz., No. 126/1. The St. Francis of Bilboa, laden with Canaries, and in her way was robbed … of one Hogshead of Wine.
a. 1711. Ken, Lett., Wks. (1838), 80. Three bottles of canary for our sick friend.
1848. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., I. 321. As his fortune did not enable him to intoxicate large assemblies daily with claret or canary, strong beer was the ordinary beverage.
3. = CANARY-BIRD. Occasionally fig. = songster.
1655. Moufet & Bennet, Health’s Improv. (1746), 189. So also doth the Canary, Finch or Fiskin.
1661. Lovell, Hist. Anim. & Min., Introd. Birds, which are … the … canarie, sparrow, finch.
1836. Penny Cycl., VI. 229. The hen canary will generally lay three or four times in the year.
1862. Calverley, Verses & Trans., 34. No darkringleted canaries Sing to me of ‘hungry foam.’
4. Short for CANARY-BIRD (sense 2) in various slang and other uses (cf. Halliwell); also for Canary-grass or -seed.
5. Angling. A ‘fly’ of a canary color.
1867. F. Francis, Angling, x. (1880), 372. The Canary.—This fly is more often called the ‘Goldfinch.’
¶ 6. A humorous blunder for quandary (put into the month of Mrs. Quickly).
1598. Shaks., Merry W., II. ii. 61. You haue brought her into such a Canaries, as ’tis wonderfull: the best Courtier of them all could neuer haue brought her to such a Canarie.
7. attrib. and Comb., as canary-colo(u)red, -sucking (sense 2), -yellow adjs.; canary-creeper, ‘a garden name for Tropæolum aduncum, (wrongly called T. canariense); canary-finch = CANARY-BIRD; canary-grass, the grass (Phalaris canariensis) which yields canary-seed; reed canary-grass = canary-reed; canary-reed, a British grass, Phalaris (Digraphis) arundinacea; † canary-sack = CANARY 2; canary-seed, the seed of Phalaris canariensis, used as food for canaries; also the plant itself; canary-stone, a ‘beautiful yellow species of carnelian’ (Simmonds, Dict. Trade); † canary-wine = CANARY 2; canary-wood, the light orange-colored wood of Persea indica and P. canariensis, obtained from Brazil.
1813. Bingley, Anim. Biog., II. 174. The *Canary-finch.
1836. Penny Cycl., VI. 228. Canary bird, or Canary finch.
1668. Wilkins, Real Char., II. iv. § 3. 73. *Canary Grass.
1711. I. Petiver, in Phil. Trans., XXVII. 380. It’s call’d Canary grass, because brought from thence, and is the common Food of those Birds.
1884. Jefferies, in Chamb. Jrnl., 1 March, 130/2. The reeds and reed canary-grass come up.
1884. Miller, Plant-n., 229. *Canary Reed.
1632. Massinger, City Madam, IV. i. (1658), 51. All the Conduits Spouting *Canary Sack.
1597. Gerard, Herbal, I. lxiv. 86. *Canarie Seed groweth naturally in Spain.
1794. Martyn, Rousseau’s Bot., xiii. 133. Canary seed … is found in the Canary Islands … and is cultivated in Europe for the food of Canary and other small birds.
1836. Penny Cycl., VI. 230. Canary seed is chiefly cultivated in the Isle of Thanet in Kent, and about Sandwich.
1641. Milton, Ch. Discip., I. (1851), 18. His *canary-sucking, and swan-eating palat.
1620. Venner, Via Recta, ii. 27. *Canarie-wine … is of some termed a Sacke, with this adiunct sweete; but yet very improperly … for it is not so white in colour as sack, nor so thin in substance.
1670. R. Coke, Disc. Trade, 6. The Canary Wines imported.
1875. Ure, Dict. Arts, I. 679. *Canary wood.
