cant
An argot, the jargon of a particular class or subgroupAn argot, the jargon of a particular class or subgroup.
» Who understands the words canted by thieves?
Meaning
19 senses(countable, usually)An argot, the jargon of a particular class or subgroup.
He had the look of a prince, but the cant of a fishmonger.
Fachsprache, Jargon
жарго́нžargón, блатно́й язы́кblatnój jazýk, фе́няfénja
(countable, uncountable, usually)A private or secret language used by a religious sect, gang, or other group.
Gaunersprache, Rotwelsch
та́йный язы́кtájnyj jazýk
a characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves)
(uncountable, usually)A language spoken by some Irish Travellers; Shelta.
(derogatory, uncountable, usually)Empty, hypocritical talk.
Phrasendrescherrei, Phrase
лицеме́риеlicemérije, ха́нжествоxánžestvo
(uncountable, usually)Whining speech, such as that used by beggars.
нытьёnytʹjó
(countable, usually)A blazon of a coat of arms that makes a pun upon the name (or, less often, some attribute or function) of the bearer, canting arms.
Redendes Wappen
Slope, the angle at which something is set.
A corner (of a building).
An outer or external angle.
An inclination from a horizontal or vertical line; a slope or bevel; a tilt.
A movement or throw that overturns something.
перевёртываниеperevjórtyvanije
A sudden thrust, push, kick, or other impulse, producing a bias or change of direction; also, the bias or turn so given.
to give a ball a cant
Examples
5 sentencesWho understands the words canted by thieves?
The roofs of the city canted down in an ever downward slope.
That's thieves' cant.
deDas ist Gaunersprache. — Tamy
Ganovim-loshn was a Yiddish thieves' cant.
Gay people in Britain used to speak a cant called Polari.
Translations
8 languagesBy meaning 5
By meaning 4
Origin
From Latin cantō, probably via Old Northern French canter (“sing, tell”). Doublet of chantFrom Latin cantō, probably via Old Northern French canter (“sing, tell”). Doublet of chant.
From Middle English cant (“edge, brink”), from Middle Dutch cant (“point, side, edge”) (Modern Dutch kant (“side, edge”)), ultimately of Celtic or Latin origin. Related to Medieval Latin cantus (“corner, side”), from Latin canthus.
Unknown, but compare Provençal cantel (“corner, piece”) or Old Northern French cantel (“piece broken off”). The verb is attested from the 15th century, and the noun from the 16th. See cantle, from which cant is possibly back-formed as if it contained the suffix -le.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: cantsSynonyms
15 synonyms- insincere talk about religion or morals:pious platitude
- two surfaces meeting at an angle different from 90 degrees:bevelchamfer
- stock phrases that have become nonsense through endless repetition:buzzword
- a characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves):slangjargonlingoargotpatoisvernacular
- a slope in the turn of a road or track; the outside is higher than the inside in order to reduce the effects of centrifugal force:bankcamber
Word family
8 related wordsLessons for this word
1 lessons- A1Countable and uncountable nouns — Because it can be uncountable