Cantare

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To produce musical tones with the voice; to perform a vocal melody; an act of singing
2. The expression of melody through vocalization; rendering a tune by voice; the performance of a song
3. Emitting sounds melodiously by voice; executing a vocal piece; the action of vocal musical expression

Etymology: In Latin, "cantare" is usually described as a frequentative of "canere," "to sing." Frequentatives describe repeated or habitual action, so the verb suggests singing again and again rather than producing a single note. Its relative "incantare," meaning to chant over something, gave English "incant" and "enchant," and the idea of charming through spoken or sung words survives in that family. The verb's descendants are the everyday singing words of several modern languages: Italian "cantare," Spanish "cantar," and French "chanter." English "chant" comes from Old French "chanter," so it is the same verb arriving by a different route. The bagpipe's melody pipe is called the "chanter" for the same reason: it carries the tune, while the drones only sustain a background note.

Synonyms: sing, chant, carol, croon, warble

Antonyms: silence, quiet