Associations to the word «Cant»

Wiktionary

CANT, noun. (countable) An argot, the jargon of a particular class or subgroup.
CANT, noun. (countable) (uncountable) A private or secret language used by a religious sect, gang, or other group.
CANT, noun. Shelta.
CANT, noun. (uncountable) (pejorative) Empty, hypocritical talk.
CANT, noun. (uncountable) Whining speech, such as that used by beggars.
CANT, noun. (countable) (heraldry) A blazon of a coat of arms that makes a pun upon the name of the bearer, canting arms.
CANT, noun. (obsolete) A call for bidders at a public fair; an auction.
CANT, verb. (intransitive) To speak with the jargon of a class or subgroup.
CANT, verb. (intransitive) To speak in set phrases.
CANT, verb. (intransitive) To preach in a singsong fashion, especially in a false or empty manner.
CANT, verb. (intransitive) (heraldry) Of a blazon, to make a pun that references the bearer of a coat of arms.
CANT, verb. (obsolete) To sell by auction, or bid at an auction.
CANT, noun. (obsolete) corner, niche
CANT, noun. Slope, the angle at which something is set.
CANT, noun. An outer or external angle.
CANT, noun. An inclination from a horizontal or vertical line; a slope or bevel; a tilt.
CANT, noun. A movement or throw that overturns something.
CANT, noun. A sudden thrust, push, kick, or other impulse, producing a bias or change of direction; also, the bias or turn so give.
CANT, noun. (coopering) A segment forming a side piece in the head of a cask.
CANT, noun. A segment of the rim of a wooden cogwheel.
CANT, noun. (nautical) A piece of wood laid upon the deck of a vessel to support the bulkheads.
CANT, verb. (transitive) To set (something) at an angle.
CANT, verb. (transitive) To give a sudden turn or new direction to.
CANT, verb. (transitive) To bevel an edge or corner.
CANT, verb. (transitive) To overturn so that the contents are emptied.
CANT, verb. (transitive) To divide or parcel out.
CANT, adjective. (British) (dialect) lively, lusty.
CANT HOOK, noun. A traditional logging tool consisting of a wooden lever handle with a movable metal hook at one end, used for handling and moving logs.
CANT HOOKS, noun. Plural of cant hook
CANT STRIP, noun. (roofing) a beveled strip used under flashings to modify the angle at the point where the roofing or waterproofing membrane meets any vertical element.

Dictionary definition

CANT, noun. Stock phrases that have become nonsense through endless repetition.
CANT, noun. 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.
CANT, noun. A characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves); "they don't speak our lingo".
CANT, noun. Insincere talk about religion or morals.
CANT, noun. Two surfaces meeting at an angle different from 90 degrees.
CANT, verb. Heel over; "The tower is tilting"; "The ceiling is slanting".

Wise words

A word is not a crystal, transparent and unchanged; it is the skin of a living thought and may vary greatly in color and content according to the circumstances and time in which it is used.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.