cant
To speak with the jargon of a class or subgroupTo speak with the jargon of a class or subgroup.
» Who understands the words canted by thieves?
zogwarg · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
10 senses(intransitive)To speak with the jargon of a class or subgroup.
(intransitive)To speak in set phrases.
(intransitive)To talk, beg, or preach in a singsong or whining fashion, especially in a false or empty manner.
(intransitive)Of a blazon, to make a pun that references the bearer of a coat of arms.
(transitive)To set (something) at an angle; to tilt.
to cant a cask
to cant a ship
kanten, kippen
кантоватьkantovatʹ
(transitive)To give a sudden turn or new direction to.
to cant round a stick of timber
to cant a football
(transitive)To bevel an edge or corner.
abschrägen
кантоватьkantovatʹ
(transitive)To overturn so that the contents are emptied.
(obsolete)To sell by auction, or bid at an auction.
(obsolete, transitive)To divide or parcel out.
- heel over
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
3 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 2
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.
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Forms
cants, canting, canted, cantedSynonyms
4 synonymsWord family
4 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle