cant
Cant is language repeated so often and so mechanically that it's essentially empty of meaning. Cant can also mean the specialized jargon of a particular group — like the "cant of piracy" (e.g., Ahoy! Lubber! Arrr!).
Possible sources for cant exist in both Irish Gaelic and Latin, and the meanings of both are similar: caint is "speech," while cantare is "to sing." In broader English, the word was first used to mock the singing of monks. As it evolved, cant became the whining of beggars and then the secret language of thieves, and the negative connotations persist in modern usage. As a verb, cant has a completely different meaning: it means to lean or tilt to one side.
Definitions of cant
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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
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two surfaces meeting at an angle different from 90 degrees
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heel over
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a characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves)
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types:
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street name
slang for something (especially for an illegal drug)
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rhyming slang
slang that replaces words with rhyming words or expressions and then typically omits the rhyming component
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type of:
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non-standard speech
speech that differs from the usual accepted, easily recognizable speech of native adult members of a speech community
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street name
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insincere talk about religion or morals
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synonyms:
pious platitude
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stock phrases that have become nonsense through endless repetition
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synonyms:
buzzword
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type of:
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bunk, hokum, meaninglessness, nonsense, nonsensicality
a message that seems to convey no meaning
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bunk, hokum, meaninglessness, nonsense, nonsensicality
Word Family
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