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

For much of the show, Fischer, a powerhouse vocalist best known as a backup singer, sticks to wordless descant, humming and oohing on top of and around the other music.

From New York Times • Feb. 23, 2024

For seven decades, Katz has been providing a visual descant to the work of the New York School of poets, many of whom were his friends.

From Washington Post • Oct. 29, 2022

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

As the audience flows out of the auditorium, there is the same jubilant descant, the great sound of crowded people explaining things to each other as fast as their minds will work.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas