Dictionary.com

cantillate

[ kan-tl-eyt ]
/ ˈkæn tlˌeɪt /
Save This Word!

verb (used with object), can·til·lat·ed, can·til·lat·ing.
to chant; intone.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of cantillate

1860–65; <Late Latin cantillātus sung low, hummed (past participle of cantillāre), equivalent to cant- sing (see cant1) + -ill- diminutive suffix + -ātus-ate1

OTHER WORDS FROM cantillate

can·til·la·tion, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cantillate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cantillate

cantillate
/ (ˈkæntɪˌleɪt) /

verb
to chant (passages of the Hebrew Scriptures) according to the traditional Jewish melody
to intone or chant

Word Origin for cantillate

C19: from Late Latin cantillāre to sing softly, from Latin cantāre to sing
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
FEEDBACK