Cantor

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈkæntɔː(ɹ)/

Definitions

1. A trained vocalist who leads liturgical singing in a synagogue or church, or in classical music, a principal male singer in an opera company
2. A trained vocalist who leads liturgical chanting in a synagogue or directs congregational singing in religious services, or a leading male opera performer
3. A professional singer who conducts liturgical music in Jewish or Christian worship settings, or alternatively a principal tenor in operatic productions

Etymology: In the Latin of ancient Rome, "cantor" was simply a singer, a person whose job or skill was to sing. The word was built from "canere," meaning "to sing," with the suffix "-tor," which marks someone who performs an action. English borrowed it directly from Latin, so the word arrived with its original meaning intact, and its sense has stayed close to that core ever since. Its closest relative in English is "chanter," which came in through Old French and descends from the same Latin verb. The two are doublets: two English words from one source, one taken straight from Latin and the other passed along through French. The result is a pair of words that look and sound different but share an ancestor, and the "cantor" form kept the Latin shape while "chanter" was reshaped by French speech.

Synonyms: singer, soloist