LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinefourth declension

cantus

cantus m (genitive cantūs)
Mille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. masculinesong, singing
  2. masculinechant, incantation
  3. masculinecrowing, crow (sound certain birds make)

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

quod canitur; cantus avium et hominum.
cantus -ūs m — in Mille Verba, Artēs et Litterae

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativecantuscantūs
genitivecantūscantuum
dativecantuīcantibus
accusativecantumcantūs
ablativecantūcantibus
vocativecantuscantūs

cantus, ūs, m. id.,
I. the production of melodious sound, a musical utterance or expression, either with voice or instrument; hence, song, singing, playing, music (while carmen is prop. the contents or substance of the song, etc.; cf.: qui enim cantus moderatā oratione dulcior invenire potest? Quod carmen artificiosā conclusione aptius? Cic. de Or. 2, 8, 34).
I. In gen.
A. Of persons.
1. With the voice, a singing, song; in full, cantus vocum, Cic. Rosc. Am. 46, 134: fit etiam saepe vocum gravitate et cantibus ut pellantur animi, etc., id. Div. 1, 36, 80: cantus vocis juvat sociatā nervorum concordiā, Quint. 5, 10, 124: oris, id. 11, 3, 23: Sirenum, Cic. Fin. 5, 18, 49; Quint. 5, 8, 1; cf. Juv. 9, 150: comissationes, cantus, symphoniae, Cic. Cael. 15, 35; Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 13, § 31; id. Fin. 5, 18, 49; Lucr. 5, 1406: felices cantus ore sonante dedit, Tib. 3, 4, 40: cantu tremulo (i.e. voce anili), Hor. C. 4, 13, 5: praecipe lugubres Cantus, id. ib. 1, 24, 3: longum cantu solata laborem, Verg. G. 1, 293; cf.: est etiam in dicendo quidam cantus obscurior, musical play of voice, Cic. Or. 17, 57.—
2. With instruments, a playing, music: in nervorum vocumque cantibus, Cic. Tusc. 1, 2, 4; id. Rosc. Am. 46, 134: citharae, Hor. C. 3, 1, 20: horribili stridebat tibia cantu, Cat. 64, 264: querulae tibiae, Hor. C. 3, 7, 30: dulcis tibia cantu, Tib. 1, 7, 47: bucinarum, Cic. Mur. 9, 22: simul ac tubarum est auditus cantus, Liv. 25, 24, 5: lyrae, Plin. 34, 8, 19, § 72: tibicines, qui fidibus utuntur, suo arbitrio cantus numerosque moderantur, Cic. Tusc. 5, 36, 104: cantu tubarum convocare concilium, Auct. B. G. 8, 20: raucisonoque mi-nantur cornua cantu, Lucr. 2, 619: rauco strepuerunt cornua cantu, Verg. A. 8, 2.— Of an actor: tardiores tibicinis modos et cantus remissiores facere, Cic. de Or. 1, 60, 254.—
B. Of birds, etc.: raucisoni cantus, Lucr. 5, 1084: cantus avium et volatus, Cic. Div. 1, 42, 94; Hor. C. 3, 1, 20; App. Flor. 2, p. 349: volucrum, Quint. 10, 3, 24.—Of the nightingale, Phaedr. 3, 18, 2; Plin. 10, 29, 43, § 81.—Of the cock, a crowing: (galli) favent faucibus russis cantu plausuque premunt alas, Enn. ap. Cic. Div. 2, 26, 57 (Trag. Rel. v. 251 Vahl.); Cic. Mur. 9, 22; id. Div. 2, 26, 56: sub galli cantum, at daybreak, cock-crowing, Hor. S. 1, 1, 10: vigil ales cristati cantibus oris Evocat Auroram, Ov. M. 11, 597; Plin. 10, 21, 24, § 46; Quint. 11, 3, 51: fulix fundens e gutture cantus, Cic. Div, poët. 1, 8, 14: perdix testata gaudia cantu est, Ov. M. 8, 238: seros exercet noctua cantus, Verg. G. 1, 403: (cycni) cantus dedere, id. A. 1, 398.—
II. Esp.
A. Prophetic or oracular song: veridicos Parcae coeperunt edere cantus, Cat. 64, 306; cf. Tib. 1, 8, 4.—
B. An incantation, charm, magic song, etc.: cantusque artesque magorum. Ov. M. 7, 195; 7, 201: at cantu commotae Erebi de sedibus imis Umbrae ibant, Verg. G. 4, 471: magici, Col. 10, 367: Haemoniis agitare cantibus umbras, Val. Fl. 6, 448: amores Cantibus solvere, Tib. 1, 2, 60; 1, 2, 45; 1, 2, 53: cantus e curru Lunam deducere tentat, id. 1, 8, 19; 4, 1, 63; 4, 4, 10; Ov. H. 12, 167; id. M. 4, 49.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*keh₂n-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*kh₂néti
  3. Proto-Italic*kanō
  4. Latincantus

Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Italic *-tus Latin -tus Latin cantus From canō + -tus (forming action nouns).

Descendants
  • Catalancant
  • Italiancanto
  • Frenchchantfrom Old French chant
  • Portuguesecantofrom Old Galician-Portuguese canto
  • Romaniancânt
  • Sardiniancantu
  • Spanishcanto
  • Englishcantus
  • Asturiancantu
  • Corsicancantu

Quick answers

What does cantus mean in Latin?
cantus, a noun, means “song, singing; chant, incantation; crowing, crow (sound certain birds make)”.
What is the genitive of cantus?
The genitive singular is cantūs. cantus is masculine, fourth declension.
Where does cantus come from?
Proto-Indo-European *keh₂n- → Proto-Indo-European *kh₂néti → Proto-Italic *kanō → Latin cantus.