Cantillate

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Dr. Goodword
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Cantillate

Postby Dr. Goodword » Wed Dec 01, 2021 6:23 pm

• cantillate •


Pronunciation: kæn-tê-layt • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Verb

Meaning: To chant, intone, recite in a singing voice with little rise and fall of pitch, especially religious texts.

Notes: There is little difference in meaning between today's word and chant or intone. If you are writing poetry and need one syllable, use chant, if two syllables, use intone, if you need three syllables, use cantillate. The noun is cantillation and the adjective, cantillationary.

In Play: Today's word is most often used in connection with a religious rite: "After cantillating a pule ho'onoa to lift the tabu, the Hawaiian spiritual guide (kumu) went on to his own ceremonial cleansing bath in the sea." However, it does not preclude figurative uses: "The saxophone in the jazz piece cantillated the word patterns of Coltrane's poem of praise and thanksgiving."

Word History: Today's Good Word was made from the past participle, cantillatus, of the verb cantillare "to sing softly, to hum". This word is the diminutive of cantare "to sing", which has remained unchanged in Modern Italian. Portuguese and Spanish only removed the final E to make cantar, but French made more material changes to get to chanter, whence English chant. English borrowed the stem of cantare for its cant "sing-song or repetitious speech". Latin came by its verb from PIE kan- "to sing, song", source also of Greek kanacheein "to ring", German Hahn "rooster", and English hen. English borrowed charm, to which Old French had converted Latin carmen "song, incantation". Carmen comes from the same PIE source. (Now let's offer Luciano Eduardo de Oliveira our heartfelt thanks for not only suggesting today's Good Word, but for his long-time service on the Good Word editorial board.)
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Slava
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Re: Cantillate

Postby Slava » Wed Dec 01, 2021 6:36 pm

Intriguing that the same root came to mean both rooster and hen.
Life is like playing chess with chessmen who each have thoughts and feelings and motives of their own.

LukeJavan8
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Re: Cantillate

Postby LukeJavan8 » Thu Dec 02, 2021 1:40 pm

"God created man in his image,
in the divine image he created him:
male and female he created them".


Gn.1:27
-----please, draw me a sheep-----

Philip Hudson
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Re: Cantillate

Postby Philip Hudson » Mon Dec 06, 2021 12:43 am

Cantillate is a new word to me. It puts me painfully in mind of a specific form of chanting done by the auctioneer. I can't abide it. We once had a yearly community reunion in the village of Simmons, Texas. I called it the Simmons Thing. Someone decided that after eating copiously: having a songfest of patriotic, folk and hymn music; having declamations on things past; and enjoying a gabfest amongst old friends, that we should have an auction to raise money. After a few years the auction dominated the other activities. Well, that was just the straw that broke the camel's back for me. I quit driving almost all the way across Texas just to hear an auctioneer's cantillation.
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