name
Meaning 1
A surname.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
cantor
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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/ˈkæntɔː(ɹ)/
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/ˈkæntə(ɹ)/
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -æntə(ɹ)
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CMU ARPABET: K AE1 N T ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
singer, especially someone who takes a special role of singing or song leading at a ceremony
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- The cantor's place in church is on the right of the choir.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
A prayer leader in a Jewish service; a hazzan
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Judaism
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
the official of a synagogue who conducts the liturgical part of the service and sings or chants the prayers intended to be performed as solos
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: hazan
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: spiritual leader
noun
Meaning 5
the musical director of a choir
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: choirmaster, precentor
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: musician
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *keh2n-der. Proto-Italic *kanō Latin canō Proto-Indo-European *-tōr Proto-Italic *-tōr Latin -tor Latin cantorbor. English cantor Borrowed from Latin cantor, agent noun from perfect passive participle cantus, from verb canere (“to sing”) + -or (“agent suffix”). Doublet of chanter.
Across languages
Translations
19 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Czech: kantor — singer
- Czech: kantorka — singer
- Danish: kantor — singer
- Finnish: kanttori — singer
- Finnish: esilaulaja — singer
- German: Kantor — singer
- German: Kantorin — singer
- German: Vorsänger — singer
- German: Vorsängerin — singer
- Hebrew: חזן \ חַזָּן (khazán) — singer
- Hungarian: kántor — singer
- Italian: cantore — singer
- Norwegian Bokmål: kantor — singer
- Norwegian Nynorsk: kantor — singer
- Polish: kantor — singer
- Polish: chazan — singer
- Swedish: kantor — singer
- Ottoman Turkish: شرقیجی (şarkıcı) — singer
- Yiddish: חזן (khazan) — singer
Real reading context