cantor
/ˈkæntɔː(ɹ)/ noun, proper noun
Forms cantors cantour
- noun A singer, especially someone who takes a special role of singing or song leading at a ceremony. “The cantor's place in church is on the right of the choir.”
- noun (Judaism) A prayer leader in a Jewish service; a hazzan.
- proper noun A surname.
Synonyms
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin cantor, agent noun from canere (“to sing”) + -tor (agent suffix). Doublet of chanter.
Webster’s 1913
Etymology [L., a singer, fr. caner to sing.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “cantor”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details