cantante

Forms

cantante m or f by sense (plural cantanti)^[1]

Etymology

It is from Italian cantare (“to sing”): its present participle, used as an adjective and a noun.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} The verb continues Latin cantō (“to sing”), the iterative of canō (“to sing”), which replaced the older verb from the 3rd century BC.^[3][7] De Vaan traces the older verb to Proto-Indo-European *kh₂n- (“to sing”).^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is Giamboni, before 1292, and the TLIO's the late 13th-century Italian Tesoro.^[2][9] The sense is “disposed to sing”: the sanguine temperament fa l'uomo cantante, makes a man cheerful and given to singing.^[10][11][9]

Semantic evolution

The adjective “that sings” was used of birds and of a melodious voice.^[10][11] As a noun it soon meant “one who sings”.^[9][11] Tommaseo cites the feminine la cantante from an old text, and in music the singer as against the instrumentalist.^[9][11]

Music also used it of a voice or part with an airy melody, and basso cantante is a bass voice suited to the middle and high registers.^[11][12] The caffè cantante is modelled on French café chantant.^[7] Today the noun, a professional singer of opera or popular music, is the usual sense.^[6][13]

Timeline

• Before 1292 – Giamboni uses the adjective.^[2][10]
• Late 13th century – The noun “one who sings” is recorded.^[9]

Meanings

Noun

1. A singer, especially a professional one: cantante lirico, una cantante di musica leggera.^{[14][4][6][1]}

Adjective

1. That sings, and (literary) melodious: voce cantante.^[14][4][5]
2. (heraldry) Of a cock, shown with its beak open.^[14][4][12]
3. (nautical) Of a propeller, vibrating in the water so that it gives out a whistling sound: elica cantante.^[4][12]

Word family

• cantautore

Related words

• cantare
• canto
• cantore

Usage notes

Zingarelli distinguishes cantante, anyone who sings, from interprete, a singer of songs written by others, and cantautore, one who writes his own.^[6] Cantautore itself is formed from cant(ante) and autore.^[2]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
3. ^ a b Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
4. ^ a b c d e Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
5. ^ a b Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
6. ^ a b c d Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
7. ^ a b Pfister, Max; Schweickard, Wolfgang; Prifti, Elton (eds.) (1979–), Lessico Etimologico Italiano, Wiesbaden: Reichert; online at lei-digitale.it, p. 10, 1336
8. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
9. ^ a b c d e Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
10. ^ a b c Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
11. ^ a b c d e Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
12. ^ a b c Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
13. ^ Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
14. ^ a b c De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET