| 释义 |
▪ I. chant, n.|tʃɑːnt, -æ-|
Also 8–9 chaunt.
[prob. a. F. chant song:—L. cantu-m (4th decl.) singing, song; but possibly formed immed. from the vb., without reference to the French.)]
1. A song, melody; singing. poetic (also in rogues' cant.).
1671Milton P.R. ii. 290 Chant of tuneful birds. 1812J. H. Vaux Flash Dict., Chaunt, a song..To throw off a rum chaunt, is to sing a good song. 1882Daily Tel. 19 Oct. 5/2 To troll his jovial chaunts..in a tavern-parlour.
2. Music. A short melody or phrase to which the Psalms, Canticles, etc., are sung in public worship.
The essential characteristic of a chant is the long ‘reciting-note’ to which an indefinite number of syllables are sung, followed by a rhythmical cadence. The modern Anglican chant (derived from the old Gregorian) is either single or double. A single chant is sung to one verse of a psalm, and consists of two strains, of 3 and 4 bars respectively, each beginning with a reciting-note. A double chant has twice the length of a single one, and is sung to two verses.
a1789Burney Hist. Mus. (ed. 2) I. i. 280 The Chants or Canto Fermo to some of the hymns of the Romish Church. 1795Mason Ch. Mus. ii. 156 The accompanied chaunt used in the Psalter. 1867Macfarren Harmony i. 10 The chant peculiar to the Gallican Church. a1876Newman Hist. Sk. I. iv. i. 360 The influence of the Ambrosian chants when first introduced at Milan. 1879Grove Dict. Mus. I. 337 Our own chants for the responses after the Creed.
b. A psalm, canticle, or dirge, so chanted.
1856Stanley Sinai & Pal. xiv. (1858) 467 The solemn chants of the Church of Basil and Chrysostom. 1860Adler Fauriel's Prov. Poet. viii. 154 Having admitted profane songs among the chants of the church. 1882Rossetti Ballads & Sonn. 154 The slain king's corpse on bier was laid With chaunt and requiem-knell.
3. A measured monotonous song; the musical recitation of words. (Used with a vague range of meaning between 1 and 2, but usually implying something less tuneful than an air or song.)
1815Moore Lalla R. (1824) 300 The minaret-cryer's chaunt of glee. 1827F. Cooper Prairie II. xii. 198 Raising the threatening expressions of their chaunt into louder strains. 1833H. Martineau Charmed Sea i. 3 The exiles uplifted one of the patriotic chaunts. 1882B. Ramsay Recoll. Mil. Serv. I. iv. 73 The low monotonous chant of an Arab party.
b. A singing intonation or modulation of the voice in speech; a distinctive intonation.
1848–55Macaulay Hist. xvii, His strange face, his strange chant, his immovable hat..were known all over the country. 1876Geo. Eliot Dan. Der. xvi, The tutor, an able young Scotchman..answered, with the clear-cut, emphatic chant which makes a truth doubly telling in Scottish utterance.
4. slang. (See quots.)
1812J. H. Vaux Flash Dict., Chant, a (person's) name, address, or designation;..a cipher, initials, or mark of any kind, on a piece of plate, linen, or other article; anything so marked is said to be chanted{ddd}an advertisement in a newspaper or hand-bill, etc. 1824Compl. Hist. Murd. Mr. Weare 258 ‘We may as well look and see if there is any chaunt about the money,’—and examined the four notes, but there were no marks upon them.
▪ II. chant, v.|tʃɑːnt, -æ-|
Forms: 4–5 chaunte(n, 5–9 chaunt, 5 chawnt, 6– chant.
[a. F. chante-r to sing:—L. cantāre, freq. of can-ĕre to sing. The frequentative force had disappeared already in Latin, and in Romanic cantare took the place entirely of L. canere.]
1. intr. To sing, warble. arch. or poet.
c1386Chaucer Miller's T. 181 Herestow nat Absolon That chaunteth thus vnder oure boures wal. 1611Bible Amos vi. 5 That chaunt [Coverd. synge] to the sound of the Viole. 1613R. C. Table Alph. (ed. 3), Chaunt, sing. 1790Cowper Odyss. x. 281 And at her task So sweetly chaunts. 1847Tennyson Princ. ii. 182 Sirens..such As chanted on the blanching bones of men.
fig.1857Ruskin Pol. Econ. Art 99 Bid..the sea winds chaunt in the galleries.
b. of birds.
1549Compl. Scot. 39 The grene serene sang sueit, quhen the gold spynk chantit. 1589Greene Menaphon (Arb.) 23 The birdes that chaunted on their braunches. 1797T. Bewick Brit. Birds (1847) I. 194 The only bird which chaunts on the wing. 1830Tennyson Poet's Mind 22 In the heart of the garden the merry bird chants.
c. transf. of other animals; spec. of hounds.
1573Tusser Husb. (1878) 42 Keepe hog I aduise thee from medow and corne..If dog set him chaunting he doth thee no wrong. 1846E. Jesse Anecd. Dogs 268 ‘Good hounds’ as an old writer observes ‘will come chanting and trail along by the river side.’ 1882Shorthouse J. Inglesant (ed. 2) I. ii. 43 The hounds came trailing and chanting along by the river-side.
2. trans. To sing, utter musically. (Often with notion of ‘prolonged or drawling intonation’, due to influence of sense 4.) Chiefly poetical.
1588Shakes. Tit. A. ii. iii. 12. 1595 ― John v. vii. 22 This pale faint Swan, Who chaunts a dolefull hymne to his owne death. 1704Pope Pastorals, Summ. 79 Your praise the birds shall chant in ev'ry grove. 1812J. Wilson Isle of Palms iv. 791 When she chants her evening hymn. 1832H. Martineau Ireland i. 1 The sea..whose hoarse music is chaunted day and night. 1842Tennyson Poet's Song 6 He..chanted a melody loud and sweet.
3. To sing of, celebrate in song. poet.
1583Stanyhurst æneis i. (Arb.) 17 Manhod and garbroyls I chaunt, and martial horror. 16062nd Pt. Returne fr. Parnass. v. iv. (Arb.) 70 Weel chant our woes vpon an oaten reede. c1750Shenstone Elegy xviii. 48 The soft shepherd..Chants his proud mistress to his hoarse guitar. ― Wks. (1764) I. 49 Poets, not inglorious, chaunt their loves.
4. Music. To recite musically, intone; to sing to a chant, as the Psalms, etc., in public worship (see chant n. 2).
a. intr.
c1440Promp. Parv. 71 Chawnten, discanto, organiso. 1796Scott Chase xii, With pious fools go chant and pray. 1884F. M. Crawford Rom. Singer i. 24 The priests and canons chant.
b. trans. (In first quot, ? to drawl out.)
1526Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 158 Not skyppyng ony worde, not chauntyng nor brekyng your notes. 1570Levins Manip. 24 To chant, cantillare. 1706A. Bedford Temple Mus. iii. 68 The Jews..do not Read, but Chant out the Hebrew Text. 1835Willis Pencillings I. xv. 114 A short service was then chaunted. 1880Grove Dict. Mus. I. 336 The ‘Common Tunes’ for chanting the Psalter.
5. fig. To talk or repeat a statement monotonously; to harp upon (obs.).
a. intr.
1572R. H. tr. Lauaterus' Ghostes (1596) 36 Those things which they chaunted upon with open mouth. 1641Milton Ch. Govt. ii. ii. (1851) 153 Let them chaunt while they will of prerogatives. 1863Kinglake Crimea (1877) II. xiv. 232 If..a man goes chanting and chanting in servile response to a newspaper.
b. trans.
1828Carlyle Misc. (1857) I. 132 Chaunting unabatedly her extreme deficiency in personal charms.
c. to chant the praises (or eulogy) of.
1820W. Irving Sketch Bk. I. 239 Some syren from Billingsgate, chaunting the eulogy of deceased mackerel. 1868E. Seyd Bullion 580 Chaunting the praises of our financial institutions. 1885Manch. Exam. 11 June 4/7 To chant the praises of the Darwinian system.
6. slang. (trans.) To sell (a horse) fraudulently [app. ‘to cry up’].
1816Sporting Mag. XLIX. 305 Frauds..in the disposal of horses..by a gang of..swindlers, who technically call it ‘chaunting horses’. 1859Thackeray Virgin. x. (D.) Jack Firebrace.. was here this morning chanting horses with 'em. 1861― Philip xx, Horses..are groomed, are doctored, are chanted on to the market. |