Cant
(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
(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
(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
(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 meseræum 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
(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.
