Etymologically
Log in

cantio

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 00:17. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈkan.ti.oː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈkan.t͡si.o][1]

Forms

cantiō f (genitive cantiōnis); third declension[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin canō (“to sing”) + -tiō.[2][1] De Vaan traces ⟨canō⟩ to Proto-Italic *kan-e-, from Proto-Indo-European *kh₂n-e- (“to sing”).[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are from Plautus, of singing.[2][4] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant singing, a song, rare and mostly ante-classical according to Lewis & Short, as in Plautus; and a magical incantation, a charm, as in Cato and Cicero.[2][5][6]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant a song.[7] British Medieval Latin used it for church singing, chanting, and for reciting numbers in counting.[8] It is the source of Italian canzone, French chanson, Catalan cançó and Portuguese canção.[1][4]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of song.[2][4]
  • 234–149 BC – Cato uses it of a magic charm.[2][4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Singing, a song.[2]
  2. A magical incantation, charm.[2]
  3. (Medieval Latin) Church singing, chanting.[8]

Word family

  • cantiuncula
  • cantiōnālis

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  7. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
  8. ^ a b Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press