canto

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈkan.toː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈkan.to]^[1]

Forms

cantō (present infinitive cantāre, perfect active cantāvī, supine cantātum); first conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is a frequentative of canō “to sing” with the suffix -tō, though it mostly has the same meaning.^[2][1][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's first citation is Naevius, of singing.^[2] Köbler dates Naevius c. 235–200 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to sing, often in public performance, as Cicero's people who learned to dance and sing, to sing songs or parts, as in Plautus, and to celebrate in song, as in Virgil.^[2][6] Of poets it meant to compose, tell in verse, as in Horace, and to recite a poem.^[2] It meant to keep saying, harp on, praise, call, proclaim, and to speak in a sing-song.^[2] It meant to chant spells, bewitch, as in Varro and Propertius, of birds to sing, of insects to whine, and to play an instrument, as in Plautus.^[2] Döderlein says canō is to make music in general, cantāre to sing with the voice.^[7]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it meant to sing, play, crow.^[8] It replaced canere and survives in Italian, Spanish and Portuguese cantar(e), French chanter and Romanian cânta.^[1][4] Through Old French chanter it is the source of English chant in the late 14th century.^[4]

Timeline

• c. 235–200 BC – Naevius uses it of singing.^[2][5]
• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of playing and harping on.^[2][5]
• 65–8 BC – Horace uses it of composing verse.^[2][5]
• late 14th century – English chant is recorded.^[4]

Meanings

Verb

1. To sing; to celebrate in song.^[2]
2. To compose; to recite (verse).^[2]
3. To keep saying; to praise; to proclaim.^[2]
4. To chant (spells); to bewitch.^[2]
5. (of birds) To sing.^[2]
6. To play (an instrument).^[2]

Word family

• accanto
• cantābilis
• cantābundus
• cantāmen
• cantātiō
• cantātor
• cantātrīx
• cantitō
• dēcantō
• excantō
• incantō
• occentō

Related words

• canticum
• cantiō
• cantor
• cantrīx
• cantus
• canō
• English chant

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
7. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
8. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson