cantore

Forms

cantore m (plural cantori)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin cantor (“singer”), through the accusative cantōrem.^[2][3][4][5] The LEI lists it with the inherited forms, while the GDLI calls it semi-learned.^[5][6] The Latin word is formed from canō (“to sing”) with the agent suffix -tor.^[7][8] De Vaan derives the verb from Proto-Indo-European *kh₂n-e- (“to sing”).^[8]

In Latin the word meant a singer and, less often, an actor; the Vulgate's sense, the singers of the Temple and those who sing at divine service, became the main sense in Italian and in French chantre, which continues the Latin nominative.^[5] In Medieval Latin the word was already a choirmaster at St Gall before 836.^[5] The French word was borrowed as Spanish chantre and gave Sicilian cantru.^[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in a Florentine document of 1286–1290; the Florentine rules of the confraternity of Santa Maria del Carmine (1280–1298) use it for those who sing in church.^[10][5] Dante uses it for a poet before 1321.^[2][4]

Semantic evolution

In Old Italian a cantore sang for pleasure or for a living, sang in a church choir, or told of something in verse.^[10] Dante calls Virgil cantor de' bucolici carmi, and Leopardi calls Ariosto cantor vago dell'arme e degli amori.^[11] In the Church the cantore was the deacon who sang the solo chants and taught the others; today it is one of the dignities of a cathedral chapter.^[11][4] Berchet's line La voce del cantor non è più quella (“The singer's voice is no longer the same”) became a proverb for decline.^[11]

Derivatives include cantoria, the choir loft (1741), and cantorino, the choir book (1797).^[2] French borrowed cantore in 1703 and German Cantore in 1732.^[12]

Timeline

• 1286–1290 – A Florentine document has cantore.^[10]
• Before 1321 – Dante uses it for a poet.^[2]
• Before 1331 – I. Romano uses it for a member of a choir.^[2]
• 1703 – French cantore is recorded.^[12]
• 1732 – German Cantore is recorded.^[12]
• 1741 – Cantoria is first recorded.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A singer in a choir, especially a church choir; a chorister.^[4][13][14]
2. (Church) A cantor, a dignity of a cathedral chapter whose holder leads the singing.^[4][14]
3. (jocular or rare) A singer.^[4][15]
4. (figurative, literary) A poet, especially one who celebrates great deeds or a hero: Ariosto, il cantore di Orlando.^[4][13][16]

Adjective

1. Who leads the choir of a chapter: canonico cantore.^[15][17] Maestri cantori: the Meistersinger, members of the German guilds of poets and musicians.^[15][17]

Word family

• cantoria
• cantorino
• cantora

Related words

• cantare
• canto
• cantante
• Latin cantor
• French chantre

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
3. ^ Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
4. ^ a b c d e f g De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
5. ^ a b c d e Pfister, Max; Schweickard, Wolfgang; Prifti, Elton (eds.) (1979–), Lessico Etimologico Italiano, Wiesbaden: Reichert; online at lei-digitale.it, p. 10, 1538
6. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
7. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
8. ^ a b de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
9. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
10. ^ a b c Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
11. ^ a b c Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
12. ^ a b c Stammerjohann, Harro, et al. (2008), Dizionario di italianismi in francese, inglese, tedesco, Firenze: Accademia della Crusca; online at difit.italianisticaonline.it
13. ^ a b Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
14. ^ a b Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
15. ^ a b c Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
16. ^ Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
17. ^ a b Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli