descant

American  

[des-kant, des-kant, dis-] / ˈdɛs kænt, dɛsˈkænt, dɪs- /

noun

1. Music.

   1. a melody or counterpoint accompanying a simple musical theme and usually written above it.

   2. (in part music) the soprano.

   3. a song or melody.

2. a variation upon anything; comment on a subject.

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adjective

1. Music (chiefly British).

   1. soprano.

      a descant recorder.

   2. treble.

      a descant viol.

verb (used without object)

1. Music. to sing.

2. to comment or discourse at great length.

descant British  

noun

1. Also: discant.  a decorative counterpoint added above a basic melody

2. a comment, criticism, or discourse

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adjective

1. Also: discant.  of or pertaining to the highest member in common use of a family of musical instruments

   a descant recorder

verb

1. Also: discant.  to compose or perform a descant (for a piece of music)

2. to discourse at length or make varied comments

Other Word Forms

• descanter
  noun

Etymology

Origin of descant

1350–1400; Middle English discant, descaunt < Anglo-French < Medieval Latin discanthus, equivalent to Latin dis- dis- ¹ + cantus song; see chant

Explanation

In music, a descant is an additional vocal part above the main melody. Many church hymns include a descant, sung at a higher pitch than the melody. Literary types use descant as a verb to mean "talk on and on in a dull way." In medieval times, a descant was an improvised tune that singers or musicians added to a fixed melody. The medieval Latin term was discantus, "refrain" or "part-song," from dis-, "apart," and cantus, "song or bird-song." Through the years, the word has been used for the soprano in a group of singers or the highest-pitched line in any song.

Example Sentences

A pair of harps, placed antiphonally in boxes at opposite sides of the stage, plus a theorbo, offer an otherworldly descant, as do the sounds of the celesta and chimes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

The Hynde storyline, which includes her messing around with songs on an acoustic guitar, runs as a kind of descant against the personal and professional noise of the Pistols.

From Los Angeles Times • May 31, 2022

With no lines to address it, this extension of the theme of assumed privilege can only serve as a descant to the others, but sometimes that’s enough.

From New York Times • Apr. 11, 2018

"Our father speaks for all of us," observes Adah, and so the voices of his family are a kind of descant to his mission.

From The Guardian • May 3, 2013

This is a countermelody, sometimes called a descant part.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones