Descant Des Kant Verb Talk Tediously Sing Play Noun

verb

1. To talk tediously. 2. To sing or play a descant.

noun

1. A comment on a subject. 2. An ornamental melody sung or played above a basic melody.

[From Latin discantus (refrain), from dis- (apart, away) + cantus (song), from canere (to sing). Ultimately from the Indo-European root kan- (sing), which also gave us hen, chant, accent, enchant, incentive, recant, cantor, and charm. Earliest documented use: 1380.]

"These disappointments were descanted on, bitterly and frequently." - John Gross; Lessons of an Immoderate Master; The New York Review of Books; Jun 26, 1997.