discant

American  

[dis-kant, dis-kant] / ˈdɪs kænt, dɪsˈkænt /

noun

1. Music.  Also discantus a 13th-century polyphonic style with strict mensural meter in all the voice parts, in contrast to the metrically free organum of the period.

2. descant.

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verb (used without object)

1. descant.

discant British  

noun

1. a variant of descant descant descant

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verb

1. a variant of descant descant descant

Other Word Forms

• discanter noun

Etymology

Origin of discant

1400–50; late Middle English < Medieval Latin discanthus; descant

Example Sentences

From Agricola onwards transverse flutes formed a complete family, said to comprise the discant, the alto and tenor, and the bass— respectively.

From Project Gutenberg

To hear him discant you would have thought his wings were sprouting.

From Project Gutenberg

Then the spirit moving her, she began to discant on things past and people vanished.

From Project Gutenberg

Hereat the bonny King grew blith, To hear the clownish Jest; How silly sots, as custom is, Do discant at the best.

From Project Gutenberg

But after describing all the joys of heaven, Brother Hans comes to the conclusion that a man knows about as much of celestial matters as an ox knows of discant singing.

From Project Gutenberg