descant

1 of 2

noun

des·​cant ˈde-ˌskant 

variants or less commonly discant

ˈdi-ˌskant 

1

a

: a melody or counterpoint sung above the plainsong of the tenor

b

: the art of composing or improvising contrapuntal part music

also : the music so composed or improvised

c

: soprano, treble

d

: a superimposed counterpoint to a simple melody sung typically by some or all of the sopranos

2

: discourse or comment on a theme

descant

2 of 2

verb

des·​cant ˈdes-ˌkant  de-ˈskant 

di-ˈskant

descanted; descanting; descants

intransitive verb

1

: to sing or play a descant

broadly : sing

2

: comment, discourse

Did you know?

The prefix des-, meaning "two" or "apart", indicates that the descant is a "second song" apart from the main melody. In popular songs a descant will often be sung at the very end to produce a thrilling climax.

Synonyms

Verb

• declaim
• discourse
• expatiate
• harangue
• lecture
• orate
• speak
• talk

Examples of descant in a Sentence

Verb

an English professor who loves to descant on his beloved Shakespeare

the world-famous soprano descanted above the melody line

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Bart, too idiosyncratic merely to copy the idiosyncrasies of the movie’s Christopher Lloyd, instead adds a descant of commentary atop them, sometimes seeming to extemporize a different show entirely. —Jesse Green, New York Times, 3 Aug. 2023

Then comes a longer descant of mixed-up work, including bad versions of pop tunes and ambitious attempts at pop epics. —Adam Gopni, The New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2021

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. —Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 29 Oct. 2022

Birds provided an intermittent descant to the insect buzz and the drone of a distant tractor. —Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 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. —Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2022

This is a dark and defensive descant to a more substantial and necessary conversation about whiteness in America. —Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 3 July 2019

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English dyscant, from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French descaunt, from Medieval Latin discantus, from Latin dis- + cantus song — more at chant

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

descant

1 of 2 noun

des·​cant ˈdes-ˌkant 

1

: a melody sung or played usually above a principal melody

2

: a discussion or comment on a subject

descant

2 of 2 verb

des·​cant ˈdes-ˌkant  des-ˈkant 

1

a

: to sing or play a descant

b

: sing entry 1 sense 2

2

: to talk or write at length

descanted on foreign films