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.

---

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.

---

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

---

Etymology

Origin of cantor

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

Example Sentences

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 • Nov. 17, 2025

Kane stars in the film opposite Jason Schwartzman, who plays Ben, a depressed cantor who befriends Carla, his childhood music teacher, as he prepares her for her bat mitzvah.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 6, 2025

In Grades IV and V, they perform tests at a walk, trot, cantor and do lateral work.

From BBC • Aug. 25, 2024

A nivel celular, el cerebro de un pájaro cantor cuenta con una estructura, la cresta ventricular dorsal, similar al neocórtex de los mamíferos en función, aunque no en forma.

From New York Times • Mar. 28, 2024

A good cantor can recite the traditional riddles for all fifty-four cards in the Lotería by heart as he reveals each card to the players.

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall