descants
kænt; noun
1.
Music.
a.
a melody or counterpoint accompanying a simple musical theme and usually written above it.
b.
(in part music) the soprano.
c.
a song or melody.
2.
a variation upon anything; comment on a subject.
adjective
3.
( Music chiefly British )
a.
soprano: a descant recorder.
b.
treble: a descant viol.
verb (used without object)
4.
Music. to sing.
5.
to comment or discourse at great length.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To descants
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Descants
is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
| a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
| descant | |
| —n | |
| 1. | Also: discant a decorative counterpoint added above a basic melody |
| 2. | a comment, criticism, or discourse |
| —adj | |
| 3. | Also: discant of or pertaining to the highest member in common use of a family of musical instruments: a descant recorder |
| —vb (often foll by on | |
| 4. | Also: discant to compose or perform a descant (for a piece of music) |
| 5. | to discourse at length or make varied comments |
| [C14: from Old Northern French, from Medieval Latin discantus, from Latin | |
| des'canter | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
descant
late 14c., from Anglo-Fr. deschaunt, from M.L. discantus "refrain, part-song," from L. dis- "asunder, apart" + cantus "song." Spelling was partly Latinized 16c. Originally "counterpoint;" sense of "talk at length" is first attested 1640s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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