Chaunten

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. An archaic verb meaning to sing or chant words in a melodic, rhythmic way
2. Old form of the verb meaning to sing a song or intone a passage in a drawn-out tone
3. Used in older English for the act of singing or chanting a melody or set of verses

Etymology: Before "chant" was spelled the way it is now, English writers used forms like "chaunten," borrowed from Old French "chanter." That French verb goes back to Latin "cantare," meaning "to sing," a frequentative of "canere," which also gave us "chant" and "canticle." The strongest link is with "enchant." It comes from Latin "incantare," "to chant a spell over someone," built from "in-" and "cantare." A magical charm was once literally a sung formula, so the idea of enchanting someone and singing words over them began as the same act. "Incantation" comes from the same Latin verb.