cant

cant

insincere; the private language of the underworld; phraseology peculiar to a particular class or profession: the cant of the fashion industry; whining or singsong speech, esp. of beggars; hypocrisy, sham, pretense, humbug

Not to be confused with:

can't – contraction of cannot

recant – withdraw or disavow; revoke, rescind, deny: He recanted his confession.

Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree

cant ¹

 (kănt)

n.

1. Angular deviation from a vertical or horizontal plane or surface; an inclination or slope.

2. A slanted or oblique surface.

3.

a. A thrust or motion that tilts something.

b. The tilt caused by such a thrust or motion.

4. An outer corner, as of a building.

v. cant·ed, cant·ing, cants

v.tr.

1. To set at an oblique angle; tilt.

2. To give a slanting edge to; bevel.

3. To change the direction of suddenly.

v.intr.

1. To lean to one side; slant.

2. To take an oblique direction or course; swing around, as a ship.

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[Middle English, side, from Old North French, from Vulgar Latin *cantus, corner, from Latin canthus, rim of wheel, tire, of Celtic origin.]

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cant ²

 (kănt)

n.

1. Tedious or hackneyed language, especially when used sanctimoniously: "a merciless onslaught upon the cant of the age, the cant about progress, equality, [and] universal education" (C. Vann Woodward).

2.

a. The special vocabulary peculiar to the members of an underworld group; argot.

b. The special vocabulary of a profession, discipline, or social group; jargon.

3. Cant See Shelta.

4. Whining or singsong speech, such as that used by beggars.

intr.v. cant·ed, cant·ing, cants

1. To speak tediously or sanctimoniously.

2. To speak in argot or jargon.

3. To speak in a whining or singsong voice.

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[Anglo-Norman cant, song, singing, from canter, to sing, from Latin cantāre; see kan- in Indo-European roots.]

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cant′ing·ly adv.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

cant

(kænt)

n

1. insincere talk, esp concerning religion or morals; pious platitudes

2. stock phrases that have become meaningless through repetition

3. specialized vocabulary of a particular group, such as thieves, journalists, or lawyers; jargon

4. singsong whining speech, as used by beggars

vb

(intr) to speak in or use cant

[C16: probably via Norman French canter to sing, from Latin cantāre; used disparagingly, from the 12th century, of chanting in religious services]

ˈcanter n

ˈcantingly adv

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cant

(kænt)

n

1. inclination from a vertical or horizontal plane; slope; slant

2. a sudden movement that tilts or turns something

3. the angle or tilt thus caused

4. (Building) a corner or outer angle, esp of a building

5. an oblique or slanting surface, edge, or line

vb (tr)

6. to tip, tilt, or overturn, esp with a sudden jerk

7. (Mechanical Engineering) to set in an oblique position

8. (Building) another word for bevel¹

adj

9. oblique; slanting

10. having flat surfaces and without curves

[C14 (in the sense: edge, corner): perhaps from Latin canthus iron hoop round a wheel, of obscure origin]

ˈcantic adj

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cant

(kɑːnt)

adj

dialect Scot and Northern English lusty; merry; hearty

[C14: related to Low German kant bold, merry]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

cant¹

(kænt)

n.

1. insincere or hypocritical statements, esp. pious platitudes.

2. the private language of the underworld.

3. the words and phrases peculiar to a particular class, profession, etc.

4. whining or singsong speech.

v.i.

5. to talk piously or hypocritically.

6. to beg in a whining or singsong tone.

[1495–1505; < Latin base cant- in cantus song, canticus singsong, etc.; see chant]

cant²

(kænt)

n.

1. a salient angle.

2. a sudden movement that tilts or overturns a thing.

3. a slanting or tilted position.

4. an oblique line or surface, as one formed by cutting off the corner of a square or cube.

5. bank ¹ (def. 5).

6. a sudden pitch or toss.

7. Also called flitch. a partly trimmed log.

adj.

8. oblique or slanting.

v.t.

9. to bevel; form an oblique surface upon.

10. to put in an oblique position; tilt; tip.

11. to throw with a sudden jerk.

v.i.

12. to take or have an inclined position; tilt; turn.

[1325–75; Middle English: side, border < Anglo-French cant, Old French chant]

cant′ic, adj.

can't

(kænt, kɑnt)

contraction of cannot.

usage: See can¹, cannot.

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

cant

Past participle: canted
Gerund: canting

Imperative

cant

cant

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

cant

A specialized vocabulary used among a particular group of people.

Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	cant - stock phrases that have become nonsense through endless repetition buzzword hokum, meaninglessness, nonsense, nonsensicality, bunk - a message that seems to convey no meaning
	2.	cant - a slope in the turn of a road or track; the outside is higher than the inside in order to reduce the effects of centrifugal force camber, bank incline, slope, side - an elevated geological formation; "he climbed the steep slope"; "the house was built on the side of a mountain"
	3.	cant - a characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves); "they don't speak our lingo" argot, jargon, lingo, patois, vernacular, slang bite - a portion removed from the whole; "the government's weekly bite from my paycheck" swiz - British slang for a swindle heist, rip-off - the act of stealing shakedown - extortion of money (as by blackmail) power trip - (slang) a self-aggrandizing action undertaken simply for the pleasure of exercising control over other people nookie, nooky, piece of tail, roll in the hay, screwing, screw - slang for sexual intercourse dekko - British slang for a look square-bashing - drill on a barracks square shakedown - a very thorough search of a person or a place; "a shakedown by the police uncovered the drugs" caff - informal British term for a cafe deck - street name for a packet of illegal drugs gat, rod - a gangster's pistol Mickey Finn - slang term for knockout drops nick - (British slang) a prison; "he's in the nick" dreck, schlock, shlock - merchandise that is shoddy or inferior cert - an absolute certainty; "it's a dead cert" legs - staying power; "that old Broadway play really has legs" soup-strainer, toothbrush - slang for a mustache bunghole - vulgar slang for anus bay window, potbelly, tummy, corporation, pot - slang for a paunch niff, pong - an unpleasant smell street name - slang for something (especially for an illegal drug); "`smack' is a street name for heroin" corker - (dated slang) a remarkable or excellent thing or person; "that story was a corker" hooey, poppycock, stuff and nonsense, stuff - senseless talk; "don't give me that stuff" baloney, bilgewater, boloney, bosh, drool, humbug, tommyrot, tosh, twaddle, taradiddle, tarradiddle - pretentious or silly talk or writing codswallop, folderol, trumpery, wish-wash, applesauce, tripe, rubbish, trash - nonsensical talk or writing skin flick - a pornographic movie dibs - a claim of rights; "I have dibs on that last slice of pizza" non-standard speech - speech that differs from the usual accepted, easily recognizable speech of native adult members of a speech community rhyming slang - slang that replaces words with rhyming words or expressions and then typically omits the rhyming component; "Cockney rhyming slang" bunfight, bun-fight - (Briticism) a grand formal party on an important occasion burnup - a high-speed motorcycle race on a public road nosh-up - a large satisfying meal hood - (slang) a neighborhood 'hood - (slang) a neighborhood airhead - a flighty scatterbrained simpleton; "she's a total airhead"; "every airhead on a big salary rushed out to buy one" babe, sister, baby - (slang) sometimes used as a term of address for attractive young women bad egg - (old-fashioned slang) a bad person boffin - (British slang) a scientist or technician engaged in military research good egg - (old-fashioned slang) a good person guvnor - (British slang) boss old man - (slang) boss out-and-outer - someone who is excellent at something schlockmeister, shlockmeister - (slang) a merchant who deals in shoddy or inferior merchandise squeeze - (slang) a person's girlfriend or boyfriend; "she was his main squeeze" suit - (slang) a businessman dressed in a business suit; "all the suits care about is the bottom line" tripper - (slang) someone who has taken a psychedelic drug and is undergoing hallucinations juice - electric current; "when the wiring was finished they turned on the juice" big bucks, big money, megabucks, pile, bundle - a large sum of money (especially as pay or profit); "she made a bundle selling real estate"; "they sank megabucks into their new house" key - a kilogram of a narcotic drug; "they were carrying two keys of heroin" skinful - a quantity of alcoholic drink sufficient to make you drunk; "someone had to drive me home last night because I had a skinful" juice - energetic vitality; "her creative juices were flowing" the trots - obscene terms for diarrhea heebie-jeebies, jitters, screaming meemies - extreme nervousness
	4.	cant - insincere talk about religion or morals pious platitude talk, talking - an exchange of ideas via conversation; "let's have more work and less talk around here"
	5.	cant - two surfaces meeting at an angle different from 90 degrees bevel, chamfer edge - a sharp side formed by the intersection of two surfaces of an object; "he rounded the edges of the box" splay - an outward bevel around a door or window that makes it seem larger
Verb	1.	cant - heel over; "The tower is tilting"; "The ceiling is slanting" cant over, tilt, slant, pitch move - move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion; "He moved his hand slightly to the right"

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

cant

¹

noun

1. hypocrisy, pretence, lip service, humbug, insincerity, pretentiousness, sanctimoniousness, pious platitudes, affected piety, sham holiness Politicians are holding forth with their usual hypocritical cant.

2. jargon, slang, vernacular, patter, lingo, argot He resorted to a lot of pseudo-psychological cant to confuse me.

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cant

²

verb tilt, angle, slope, incline, slant, bevel, rise The helicopter canted inward towards the landing area.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

cant ¹

noun

Deviation from a particular direction:

grade, gradient, heel, inclination, incline, lean, list, rake, slant, slope, tilt, tip.

verb

To depart or cause to depart from true vertical or horizontal:

heel, incline, lean, list, rake, slant, slope, tilt, tip.

---

cant ²

noun

1. A variety of a language that differs from the standard form:

argot, dialect, jargon, lingo, patois, vernacular.

2. Specialized expressions indigenous to a particular field, subject, trade, or subculture:

argot, dialect, idiom, jargon, language, lexicon, lingo, patois, terminology, vernacular, vocabulary.

The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Translations

رِياء، نِفاقكَلامُ اللُصوص

frázovitá řečhantýrkatlach

floskeljargon

GaunerspracheJargonkippenrotwelschPhrase

argotjerga

kallistaakaltevuus

argotjargon

kántálásképmutatástolvajnyelvzsargon

hræsnislangur

gergoipocrisielinguaggio ipocritasbilanciare

argoveidmainiška kalbažargonas

liekulībažargons

Bargoensboeventaalgezeverhellingneigen

flosklersjargongtomme fraser

косяк

frázy

argoyapmacık konuşma

伪善的谈话行话黑谈

cant

¹ [kænt]

A. N (= slope) → inclinación f, sesgo m; [of crystal etc] → bisel m

B. VT → inclinar, sesgar

C. VI → inclinarse, ladearse

cant over VI + ADV → volcar

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cant

² [kænt]

A. N

1. (= hypocrisy) → hipocresía(s) f(pl)

2. (= jargon) → jerga f

B. VI → camandulear

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

cant

[ˈkænt]

n (= hypocritical talk) → discours m hypocrite, propos mpl hypocrites

vt → pencher

vi → pencher

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

cant

¹

n

(= hypocrisy) → Heuchelei f, → scheinheiliges or leeres Gerede

(= jargon) → Jargon m, → Kauderwelsch nt

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cant

²

n (= tilt) → Schräge f

vt → schräg stellen, kanten; the wind canted the boat → der Wind brachte das Boot zum Kippen

vi → schräg or schief sein, sich neigen; (boat) → kippen

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

cant

¹ [kænt] n (hypocritical talk) → discorsi mpl ipocriti; (jargon) → gergo

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cant

² [kænt]

1. vi (tilt) → inclinarsi

2. vt → inclinare; (overturn) → rovesciare

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

cant

(kӕnt) noun

1. insincere talk. politicians' cant. liegstories, huigeltaal, gefemel, femelary رِياء، نِفاق лицемерни приказки conversa fiada frázovitá řeč, tlach das Geschwafel tom snak; floskel ανειλικρινή λόγια hipocresía sõnamulin کلام غیر صادقانه hurskastelu langage hypocrite דִּברֵי צְבִיעוּת कपट की बात licemjerne riječi, laskanje zsargon bualan hræsni linguaggio ipocrita うわべだけの言葉 위선적인 말 veidmainiška kalba liekulība helah schijnheilige praat floskler, tomme fraser frazesy د غیر صادقانه خبری conversa fiada discuţie nesinceră/prefăcută лицемерие frázy hinavščina prazna priča tomma fraser, floskler การพูดอย่างไม่จริงใจ yapmacık konuşma 偽善言詞 лицемірство منافقانہ ، ریاکارانہ گفتگو lời giả dối 伪善的谈话

2. the special slang of a particular group of people. thieves' cant. jargon كَلامُ اللُصوص жаргон gíria hantýrka der Jargon jargon αργκόjerga erikeel گویش صنفی jnk ryhmän erityisslangi jargonלהג किसी खास वर्ग, व्यवसाय इत्यादिक की निजी उपभाषा žargon tolvajnyelv slang slangur gergo 隠語 은어 žargonas, argo žargons slanga jargonsjargonggwara, żargon عاميانه محاوره، ديوې خاصې ډلې محاوره، غير ادبي ژبه، ځانګړې اصطلاح (لكه دغلو په منځ كې gíria jargon жаргон žargón žargon žargon jargong, förbrytarspråk คำแสลงสำหรับเรียกกลุ่มคน argo 行話 жаргон چوروں کا گروہ ، چوروں کی بولی tiếng lóng 黑谈，行话

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.