descant
PRONUNCIATION:
MEANING:
verb intr.: 1. To talk tediously. 2. To sing or play a descant.
noun: 1. A comment on a subject. 2. An ornamental melody sung or played above a basic melody.
noun: 1. A comment on a subject. 2. An ornamental melody sung or played above a basic melody.
ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin discantus (refrain), from dis- (apart, away) + cantus (song), from canere (to sing). Ultimately from the Indo-European root kan- (sing), which also gave us hen, chant, accent, enchant, incentive, recant, cantor, and charm. Earliest documented use: 1380.
USAGE:
"These disappointments were descanted on, bitterly and frequently."
John Gross; Lessons of an Immoderate Master; The New York Review of Books; Jun 26, 1997
John Gross; Lessons of an Immoderate Master; The New York Review of Books; Jun 26, 1997
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