insincere talk about religion or morals
"The politician's speech was nothing but cant, full of empty promises about family values while he ignored his own scandals."
An argot, the jargon of a particular class or subgroup.
"The old ship's log described each cant as a separate compartment where water could accumulate if the hull was breached."
Side, edge, corner, niche.
A parcel, a division.
In plain English: Cant is a section or portion of something larger.
"The oranges were carefully packed into each cant of the crate."
Usage: Cant (noun) refers to a specialized jargon or dialect used by a particular group, often secretively; think of thieves' cant. It can also describe a sloping line or edge, like the cant of a roof.
To speak with the jargon of a class or subgroup.
"The greedy landlord tried to cant the remaining land into tiny plots to sell at a profit."
To set (something) at an angle.
To divide or parcel out.
In plain English: To cant means to distribute something into portions or groups.
"The landlord will cant the available apartments among the new applicants."
Usage: Cant (verb) means to distribute something, often shares or expenses, among a group. Use it when describing the act of dividing resources-for example, "We'll cant the cost of the pizza evenly between everyone."
Lively, lusty.
"The old miner sang cant songs while swinging his pickaxe in the dim light of the mine shaft."
In plain English: Cant means full of energy and enthusiasm.
"The choir's cant voices filled the small chapel with joyful sound."
Usage: Cant (adj.) refers to a lively, robust, and joyful quality-think of a cant song or a cant spirit. It's an older term, rarely used today outside specific historical contexts or literary works.
A surname.
"The family name Cant has been recorded in English genealogies since the thirteenth century."
The word comes from Latin cantō and likely passed through the phrase to mean singing or telling a story before entering English as a doublet of "chant." Originally referring to musical performance, it eventually developed its current meanings related to jargon or deceitful speech within specific groups.