Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Topic: LINGUISTICS

Date: 1600-1700
Origin: cant 'to speak, talk like a beggar trying to get money' (16-18 centuries), from Latin cantare; CHANT1

cant

1 noun
     
cant1
1 [uncountable] insincere talk about moral or religious principles by someone who is pretending to be better than they really are
2 [uncountable] formalSL special words used by a particular group of people, especially in order to keep things secret [= slang]:
thieves' cant
Definition of cant from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English within
the topic LINGUISTICS
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