cantor

¹ American  

[kan-ter, -tawr] / ˈkæn tər, -tɔr /

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.

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Cantor ² American  

[kan-ter, kahn-tawr] / ˈkæn tər, ˈkɑn tɔr /

noun

1. Eddie Edward Israel Iskovitz, 1892–1964, U.S. singer and entertainer.

2. Georg 1845–1918, German mathematician, born in Russia.

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cantor British  

/ ˈkæntɔː /

noun

1. Also called: chazan.  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

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Etymology

Origin of cantor

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

Example Sentences

They were performed at the St Thomas Church in Leipzig, where Bach is buried and where he worked as a cantor for 27 years.

From BBC

They were also performed for the first time in 320 years at the St Thomas Church in Leipzig, where Bach is buried and served as a cantor for 27 years.

From Barron's

Laurence Harris and his wife Ruth, the longtime cantor, raced to Pasadena Jewish Temple & Center as embers started to rain down , attempting to rescue what they could.

From Los Angeles Times

Seven candles were lighted in honor of those who died, as well as first responders and others who helped to save victims; rabbis and cantors sang in Hebrew as the crowd held up battery-powered candles.

From Los Angeles Times

The first talking picture, “The Jazz Singer,” starred Al Jolson as a cantor’s son who wanted to go pop.

From Los Angeles Times