descant
Music.
a melody or counterpoint accompanying a simple musical theme and usually written above it.
(in part music) the soprano.
a song or melody.
a variation upon anything; comment on a subject.
Music (chiefly British).
soprano: a descant recorder.
treble: a descant viol.
Music. to sing.
to comment or discourse at great length.
Origin of descant
1- Also discant.
Other words from descant
- des·cant·er, noun
Words Nearby descant
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use descant in a sentence
But the teacher does not go beyond this, and descant upon the opposite conditions, and promise joys ineffable and full of glory.
Ancient Faiths And Modern | Thomas InmanIt is, however, a subject upon which one cannot descant before the general public.
Ancient Faiths And Modern | Thomas InmanThen the dowager and the rest of the company continued to descant upon the folly of the match.
Tales And Novels, Volume 3 (of 10) | Maria EdgeworthI would take you up to me Alhambra, and descant to you for hours upon its perfections and its romantic history.
This ornament the Lady Clotilde was resolved to show to the countess, and descant on its history and its great value.
The Court Jester | Cornelia Baker
British Dictionary definitions for descant
Also: discant a decorative counterpoint added above a basic melody
a comment, criticism, or discourse
Also: discant of or pertaining to the highest member in common use of a family of musical instruments: a descant recorder
Also: discant (often foll by on or upon) to compose or perform a descant (for a piece of music)
(often foll by on or upon) to discourse at length or make varied comments
Origin of descant
1Derived forms of descant
- descanter, noun
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
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