Crossword Dictionary

What's The Definition Of Cant?

\Cant\, n. [OF., edge, angle, prof. from L. canthus the iron ring round a carriage wheel, a wheel, Gr. ? the corner of the eye, the felly of a wheel; cf. W. cant the stake or tire of a wheel. Cf. {Canthus}, {Canton}, {Cantle}.] 1. A corner; angle; niche. [Obs.] The first and principal person in the temple was Irene, or Peace; she was placed aloft in a cant. --B. Jonson. 2. An outer or external angle. 3. An inclination from a horizontal or vertical line; a slope or bevel; a titl. --Totten. 4. A sudden thrust, push, kick, or other impulse, producing a bias or change of direction; also, the bias or turn so give; as, to give a ball a cant. 5. (Coopering) A segment forming a side piece in the head of a cask. --Knight. 6. (Mech.) A segment of he rim of a wooden cogwheel. --Knight. 7. (Naut.) A piece of wood laid upon the deck of a vessel to support the bulkheads. {Cant frames}, {Cant timbers} (Naut.), timber at the two ends of a ship, rising obliquely from the keel.
\Cant\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Canted}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Canting}.] 1. To incline; to set at an angle; to tilt over; to tip upon the edge; as, to cant a cask; to cant a ship. 2. To give a sudden turn or new direction to; as, to cant round a stick of timber; to cant a football. 3. To cut off an angle from, as from a square piece of timber, or from the head of a bolt.
\Cant\, n. [Prob. from OF. cant, F. chant, singing, in allusion to the singing or whining tine of voice used by beggars, fr. L. cantus. See {Chant}.] 1. An affected, singsong mode of speaking. 2. The idioms and peculiarities of speech in any sect, class, or occupation. --Goldsmith. The cant of any profession. --Dryden. 3. The use of religious phraseology without understanding or sincerity; empty, solemn speech, implying what is not felt; hypocrisy. They shall hear no cant from me. --F. W. Robertson 4. Vulgar jargon; slang; the secret language spoker by gipsies, thieves, tramps, or beggars.
\Cant\, a. Of the nature of cant; affected; vulgar. To introduce and multiply cant words in the most ruinous corruption in any language. --Swift.
\Cant\, v. i. 1. To speak in a whining voice, or an affected, singsong tone. 2. To make whining pretensions to goodness; to talk with an affectation of religion, philanthropy, etc.; to practice hypocrisy; as, a canting fanatic. The rankest rogue that ever canted. --Beau. & Fl. 3. To use pretentious language, barbarous jargon, or technical terms; to talk with an affectation of learning. The doctor here, When he discourseth of dissection, Of vena cava and of vena porta, The meser[ae]um and the mesentericum, What does he else but cant. --B. Jonson That uncouth affected garb of speech, or canting language, if I may so call it. --Bp. Sanderson.
\Cant\, n. [Prob. from OF. cant, equiv. to L. quantum; cf. F. encan, fr. L. in quantum, i.e. ``for how much?''] A call for bidders at a public sale; an auction. ``To sell their leases by cant.'' --Swift.
\Cant\, v. t. to sell by auction, or bid a price at a sale by auction. [Archaic] --Swift.