shanty
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ti1810–20; probably < Canadian French chantier lumber camp, hut; French: yard, depot, gantry, stand for barrels < Latin cant(h)ērius rafter, prop, literally, horse in poor condition, nag < Greek kanthḗlios pack ass
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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| to flee; abscond: |
| to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable. |
shanty1 (ˈʃæntɪ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n , pl -ties | |
| 1. | a ramshackle hut; crude dwelling |
| 2. | (Austral), (NZ) a public house, esp an unlicensed one |
| 3. | formerly, in Canada |
| a. a log bunkhouse at a lumber camp | |
| b. the camp itself | |
| [C19: from Canadian French chantier cabin built in a lumber camp, from Old French gantier | |
| shanty, (US) shantey, (US) chanty or (US) chantey2 (ˈʃæntɪ, ˈtʃæn-, ˈʃæntɪ, ˈtʃæn-) | |
| —n , pl -ties, -teys | |
| a song originally sung by sailors, esp a rhythmic one forming an accompaniment to work | |
| [C19: from French chanter to sing; see | |
| shantey, (US) shantey, (US) chanty or (US) chantey2 | |
| —n | |
| [C19: from French chanter to sing; see | |
| chanty, (US) shantey, (US) chanty or (US) chantey2 | |
| —n | |
| [C19: from French chanter to sing; see | |
| chantey, (US) shantey, (US) chanty or (US) chantey2 | |
| —n | |
| [C19: from French chanter to sing; see | |
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shanty
shanty
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shanty
also spelled Chantey, or Chanty (from French chanter, "to sing"), English-language sailors' work song dating from the days of sailing ships, when manipulating heavy sails, by means of ropes, from positions on the deck constituted a large part of a sailor's work. The leader, or shantyman, chosen for his seamanship rather than his musical talent, stood at the leading position on the rope, while the sailors crouched along the rope behind him. The shantyman would intone a line of a song and the group respond in chorus, heaving on the rope at a given point in the melody. The shantyman was one of the crucial members of the ship's crew, and it was said that "a good shantyman was worth four extra hands on the rope." He selected a song of appropriate type and speed for the task, and, by improvising verses, he could spin the song out for as long as needed; shanty texts are thus far more fluid than published versions indicate.
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