A canopy is a covering that hangs or spreads overhead, like a roof made of fabric or leaves. When you walk through a dense forest, the thick branches and leaves of tall trees create a natural canopy above you, filtering sunlight and sheltering everything below. In a rainforest, scientists study the canopy layer where monkeys swing from branch to branch and colorful birds make their nests, high above the forest floor.

People also create canopies for practical purposes. A four-poster bed might have a fabric canopy draped above it for decoration or privacy. Market vendors set up canopies over their stalls to provide shade from the sun. When a parachute opens above a skydiver, that billowing fabric dome is called a canopy because it spreads out overhead like a protective umbrella.