canto
Americannoun
noun
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music another word for cantus
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a main division of a long poem
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of canto
1580–90; < Italian < Latin cant ( us ) singing, song, equivalent to can ( ere ) to sing + -tus suffix of v. action; cf. cant 1, chant
Explanation
Long books have chapters. Long poems do, too. But a chapter in a long poem is called a canto. There are several famous poems that are divided into cantos, including Dante's Divine Comedy, Spenser's The Faerie Queene, and Byron's Don Juan. Canto is an Italian word coming from Latin which means song or singing. From Italian it was borrowed in English to mean a section of a poem.
Vocabulary lists containing canto
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Poetry: Structure and Meter
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Reading: Literature - Poetry - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Tina Brown called American Canto “absurdly pretentious,” wincing at its repeated invocations of Joan Didion’s unsettling Santa Ana winds.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 6, 2025
But the American Canto announcement, along with the recent New York Times and Vanity Fair pieces, nullified that handshake agreement in his eyes.
From Slate • Nov. 19, 2025
Robledo is the author of “Blood on the Canvas,” a book commemorating his father, local boxing legend Canto ‘TNT’ Robledo.
From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2024
Television and Fox Entertainment praised Canto for his “Cleaning Lady” performance, which the studios said “showcased his artistry, range, depth and vulnerability.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 10, 2024
My cloak knot is indeed a Canto knot, a sturdy knot that military officials like to use.
From "Legend" by Marie Lu
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
