discant

[dis-kant, dis-kant]

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.

verb (used without object)

1. descant.

discant

noun

1. a variant of descant descant descant

verb

1. a variant of descant descant descant

Other Word Forms

• discanter noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of discant¹

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.

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

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

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

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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.

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