cantor

¹

[ kan-ter, -tawr ]

noun

1. the religious official of a synagogue who conducts the liturgical portion of a service and sings or chants the prayers and parts of prayers designed to be performed as solos.
2. an official whose duty is to lead the singing in a cathedral or in a collegiate or parish church; a precentor.

Cantor

²

[ kan-ter; German kahn-tawr ]

noun

1. Eddie Edward Israel Iskovitz, 1892–1964, U.S. singer and entertainer.
2. Ge·org [gey-, awrk], 1845–1918, German mathematician, born in Russia.

cantor

/ ˈkæntɔː /

noun

1. Also calledchazan Judaism a man employed to lead synagogue services, esp to traditional modes and melodies
2. Christianity the leader of the singing in a church choir

Word History and Origins

Origin of cantor¹

1530–40; < Latin: singer, equivalent to can ( ere ) to sing + -tor -tor

Word History and Origins

Origin of cantor¹

C16: from Latin: singer, from canere to sing

Example Sentences

Now it can happen in the blink of an eye—just look at former House majority leader Eric Cantor.

From The Daily Beast

“Singing for me, is a prayer,” Nozomi Kawaguchi, the Tokyo-born cantor of Mother Cabrini Shrine, said.

From The Daily Beast

McCarthy replaced Eric Cantor, who stepped down after losing his primary last month to anti-immigration candidate Dave Brat.

From The Daily Beast

Neither Cantor nor any of the great singers who nailed their impressions are the true stars of the original video.

From The Daily Beast

Rob Cantor impersonates everyone from Christina Aguilera to Bono to Sir Ian McKellen while singing an original song, “Perfect.”

From The Daily Beast

Cantor has half a dozen men in the fifteenth century to whom he devotes more than twenty-five pages each.

From Project Gutenberg

When the cantor was present, there was always fun and merriment.

From Project Gutenberg

He had attended the lectures of Peter Cantor, and obtained an insight into his impressive style.

From Project Gutenberg

Cantor introduced into science a new way of considering mathematical infinity.

From Project Gutenberg

Dr. Cantor says that in confinement plantains constitute the favourite food, but deprived of liberty it soon dies.

From Project Gutenberg