Link Centre Dictionary

cant

UK/kænt/ US/ˈkænt/ fairly common uk
noun (5) verb (1)

noun

1.

stock phrases that have become nonsense through endless repetition

Synonyms
2.

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

Synonyms
3.

a characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves)

  • “they don”
Synonyms
4.
5.

two surfaces meeting at an angle different from 90 degrees

Synonyms

verb

1.

heel over

  • “The tower is tilting”
  • “The ceiling is slanting”
Synonyms

Origin

Unknown, but compare Provençal cantel (“corner, piece”) or Old Northern French cantel (“piece broken off”). The verb is attested from the 15th century, and the noun from the 16th. See cantle, from which cant is possibly back-formed as if it contained the suffix -le.

Phrases

  • cant dog
  • cant hook
  • cant rail
  • cant strip

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.