descant. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

descant

SYLLABICATION:	des·cant
PRONUNCIATION:	dsknt
NOUN:	1. also dis·cant (ds-) Music a. An ornamental melody or counterpoint sung or played above a theme. b. The highest part sung in part music. 2. A discussion or discourse on a theme.
INTRANSITIVE VERB:	Inflected forms: des·cant·ed, des·cant·ing, des·cants (dsknt, d-sknt)1. To comment at length; discourse: “He used to descant critically on the dishes which had been at table” (James Boswell). 2. also dis·cant ( dsknt, d-sknt) Music a. To sing or play a descant. b. To sing melodiously.
ETYMOLOGY:	Middle English, from Anglo-Norman descaunt, from Medieval Latin discantus, a refrain : Latin dis-, dis- + Latin cantus, song, from past participle of canere, to sing. See kan- in Appendix I.
OTHER FORMS:	descanter —NOUN


The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.