Etymology: Probably < Anglo-Norman chaunt, Anglo-Norman and Middle French chant (compare Old French chant ; French chant ) song, act of singing (both 12th cent. in Old French), liturgical song (first half of the 14th cent.) < classical Latin cantus (4th declension) singing, song (see cant n.³). Compare earlier chant v., which influenced the sense development of the noun, and slightly earlier properchant n.Compare Catalan cant (14th cent.), Spanish canto, Portuguese canto, Italian canto (all 13th cent.).

Etymology: < Anglo-Norman chantier, chaunter, chauntier, Anglo-Norman and Middle French chanter (compare Anglo-Norman and Old French canter , chanter ; French chanter ) to sing (a song, tune, etc.), to celebrate (a person or thing) with a song (both 10th cent. in Old French), to sing (11th cent.), (of a bird) to make characteristic melodious sounds (early 12th cent.), to tell, relate (a story) (late 12th cent.), (of wild animals other than birds) to make a sound likened to a song or chant (late 14th cent.), < classical Latin cantāre to sing, to celebrate in song, sing of, (of poets) to sing, compose (verse), to recite, repeat, to say or urge repeatedly, dwell on, to call, cry, to proclaim, to speak in a sing-song tone, to sing (incantations), to charm by spells or incantation, (of birds) to sing, call, to play on a musical instrument, (of an instrument) to sound, to play or sound (a tune), in post-classical Latin also to sing (psalms), to say (mass) (frequently from 8th cent. in British sources; also in continental sources), frequentative formation < canere to sing, to chant incantations, to sing of, to celebrate (in verse), to compose (writings), to proclaim, to play (on musical instruments), to play (a tune), (of an instrument) to sound, to give a signal on a trumpet, (of birds) to sing, call, to prophesy, foretell, in post-classical Latin also to sing (psalms), to say (mass) (frequently from 8th cent. in British sources; also in continental sources) < the same Italic base as Umbrian kanetu let him sing < the same Indo-European base as Early Irish canaid sings, Old Welsh, Welsh canu to sing, ultimately < the same Indo-European base as hen n.¹ Compare slightly earlier chanter n.² and chantable adj., and compare also chanting n.²The frequentative force of cantāre had already disappeared in classical Latin, and Romance languages used the reflexes of this Latin verb in place of classical Latin canere ; compare Old Occitan cantar , chantar (early 12th cent.), Catalan cantar (late 13th cent.), Spanish cantar (late 12th cent.), Portuguese cantar (13th cent.), Italian cantare (late 12th cent.). Sense 6 shows a specific semantic development of sense 5b; compare earlier horse-chanter n. at horse n. Compounds 2a.