descant
Meaninga separate song
Common meaning: a melody sung above the main tune
- desapart; away from (via French)
- cantto singLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 281 · scan
‘apart’ + ‘to sing’ → descant
Journey through time
- Latincanō / cantō‘to sing’
- Old Frenchdescantsource
- Englishdescant‘a melody sung above the main tune’ · today
cant also in: recantdisenchantdisenchantment
Sources & notes
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: not available. Respelling: generated.
- US IPA: not available. Respelling: generated.
Origin: Built on Latin canō / cantō ‘to sing’.
Did you know: our wording, based on Lewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), entry canō / cantō, p. 281 · dictionary scan
Roots
- canō / cantō Latin “to sing”
Related words
Building blocks are an automatic split · open in app