Something is canted when it is tilted at an angle from the vertical or horizontal. You will hear it in phrases like canted outward, upward, or downward. Although you can use "angled" in place of "canted", the reverse is not always true. "He angled the plane down towards the clouds" won't work with "canted", at least not in modern informal usage.

In Heraldry, a cant is a visual pun created by the relationship the symbols or devices on the shield. See also canting.

Cant (?), n. [OF., edge, angle, prof. from L. canthus the iron ring round a carriage wheel, a wheel, Gr. the corner of the eye, the felly of a wheel; cf. W. cant the stake or tire of a wheel. Cf. Canthus, Canton, Cantle.]

1.

A corner; angle; niche.

[Obs.]

The first and principal person in the temple was Irene, or Peace; she was placed aloft in a cant. B. Jonson.

2.

An outer or external angle.

3.

An inclination from a horizontal or vertical line; a slope or bevel; a titl.

Totten.

4.

A sudden thrust, push, kick, or other impulse, producing a bias or change of direction; also, the bias or turn so give; as, to give a ball a cant.

5. Coopering

A segment forming a side piece in the head of a cask.

Knight.

6. Mech.

A segment of he rim of a wooden cogwheel.

Knight.

7. Naut.

A piece of wood laid upon athe deck of a vessel to support the bulkneads.

Cant frames, Cant timbers Naut., timber at the two ends of a ship, rising obliquely from the keel.

 

© Webster 1913.


Cant, v. t. [imp & p. p. Canted; p. pr. & vb. N. Canting.]

1.

To incline; to set at an angle; to titl over; to tip upon the edge; as, to cant a cask; to cant a ship.

2.

To give a sudden turn or new direction to; as, to cant round a stick of timber; to cant a football.

3.

To cut off an angle from, as from a square piece of timber, or from the head of a bolt.

 

© Webster 1913.


Cant, n. [Prob. from OF. cant, F. chant, singing, in allusion to the singing or whining tine of voice used by beggars, fr. L. cantus. See Chant.]

1.

An affected, singsong mode of speaking.

2.

The idioms and peculiarities of speech in any sect, class, or occupation.

Goldsmith.

The cant of any profession. Dryden.

3.

The use of religious phraseology without understanding or sincerity; empty, solemn speech, implying what is not felt; hypocrisy.

They shall hear no cant from. F. W. Robertson

4.

Vulgar jargon; slang; the secret language spoker by gipsies, thieves. tramps, or beggars.

 

© Webster 1913.


Cant (?), a.

Of the nature of cant; affected; vulgar.

To introduce and multiply cant words in the most ruinous corruption in any language. Swift.

 

© Webster 1913.


Cant, v. i.

1.

To speak in a whining voice, or an affected, sinsong tone.

2.

To make whining pretensions to goodness; to talk with an affectation of religion, philanthropy, etc.; to practice hypocrisy; as, a canting fanatic.

The rankest rogue that ever canted. Beau. & Fl.

3.

To use pretentious language, barbarous jargon, or technical termes; to talk with an affectation of learning.

The doctor here, When he discqurseth of dissection, Of vena cava and of vena porta, The meseraeum and the mesentericum, What does he else but cant. B. Jonson

That uncouth affected garb of speech, or canting hanguage, if I may so call it. Bp. Sanderson.

 

© Webster 1913.


Cant, n. [Prob. from OF. cant, equiv. to L. quantum; cf. F. encan, fr. L. in quantum, i.e. "for how much?"]

A all for bidders at a public sale; an auction.

"To sell their leases by cant."

Swift.

 

© Webster 1913.


Cant, v. t.

to sell by auction, or bid a price at a sale by auction.

[Archaic]

Swift.

 

© Webster 1913.

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