Des"cant (d&ebreve;s"kănt), n.
[OF. descant, deschant, F. déchant,
discant, LL. discantus, fr. L. dis +
cantus singing, melody, fr. canere to sing. See
Chant, and cf. Descant, v. i.,
Discant.] 1. (Mus.) (a)
Originally, a double song; a melody or counterpoint sung above
the plain song of the tenor; a variation of an air; a variation by
ornament of the main subject or plain song. (b)
The upper voice in part music. (c)
The canto, cantus, or soprano voice; the
treble. Grove.
Twenty doctors expound one text twenty ways, as
children make descant upon plain song.
Tyndale.
She [the nightingale] all night long her amorous
descant sung.
Milton.
&fist; The term has also been used synonymously with counterpoint,
or polyphony, which developed out of the French
déchant, of the 12th century.
2. A discourse formed on its theme, like
variations on a musical air; a comment or comments.
Upon that simplest of themes how magnificent a
descant!
De Quincey.
Des*cant" (d&ebreve;s*kănt"), v.
i. [imp. & p. p. Descanted;
p. pr. & vb. n. Descanting.] [From
descant; n.; or directly fr. OF. descanter,
deschanter; L. dis- + cantare to sing.]
1. To sing a variation or
accomplishment.
2. To comment freely; to discourse with
fullness and particularity; to discourse at large.
A virtuous man should be pleased to find people
descanting on his actions.
Addison.
