Cant
/kænt/noun
Insincere or hypocritical speech, or a specialized jargon used by a particular group.
Did you know?In English, cant first appears as a term for the whining, singsong speech of beggars and later hardened into the idea of secretive or hypocritical jargon.
Etymological Timeline
Late Latin
Latin
cantare
“to sing, chant”
Old French
OF
cantar
“to sing, chant”
15th Century
English
cant
“singsong speech, especially of beggars”
16th–17th Century
English
cant
“jargon or the special language of a group”
18th Century
English
cant
“hypocritical or insincere moralizing”
Modern English
English
cant
“insincere talk or specialized jargon”
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