Make Your Point > Archived Issues > DESCANT

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connect today's word to others: Our word descant is based on the Latin cantus, meaning "a song." So is the word __cant, which literally means "to sing back," but today means "to formally and publicly take something back." Could you recall it? (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "DESCANT" This word has specific meanings in the field of music, but we'll focus on the general meanings. To descant is to talk or write for a long time on some specific subject. And, a descant is a long speech or piece of writing on some specific subject. Also, because a descant in a song is a high part that gets sung in addition to the main melody, the noun "descant" can be used figuratively to mean a variation on something, or something that adds depth, beauty, or meaning to something else. Pronunciation: DESS can't Part of speech: Both a verb ("to descant," "to descant on a subject") and a noun ("a descant on a subject"). Other forms: descants; descanted, descanting How to use it: "Descant" is a formal, scholarly word. It can have a neutral tone or even a positive one, but often it's negative, because a lot of descanting is about lecturing, nitpicking, making hairsplitting distinctions, and pointing out fussily how other people have been wrong. To use the verb, talk about people descanting on a subject: "she descanted on that theme all through dinner," "he descanted on the merits of home-brewed beer." Use the word upon (instead of on) to be extremely formal or mock-formal: "Perhaps he'll regale us by descanting again upon the failures of modern feminism." Let's look at the noun next. For the first meaning ("a long, detailed explanation of something"), talk about descants on (or upon) a subject: "a descant on governmental restrictions of freedom." And for the second meaning ("an additional bit of depth, meaning, or beauty that reminds you of a countermelody"), talk about something being, adding, making, or creating a descant on or to something, as in, "Geographical separation has created several descants on this species." That's so lovely but abstract, isn't it? Let's check out two more examples. "The voices of his family are a kind of descant to his mission" (John Mullan for the Guardian). And: "[The work of the artist Shirin Neshat] is a kind of poetic descant to history, reimagining it in a lyrical and reflective mode" (Philip Kennicott for the Washington Post). Finally, because one of the older meanings of "to descant" was "to criticize," the adjective "descanting" can mean "criticizing:" a descanting voice, a descanting tone, a descanting letter to the editor. examples: In science fiction stories, I really appreciate a narrator who reveals the quirks of the setting without descanting on how they came to be. I realize that Moulin Rouge was basically a trippy, glitzy jukebox comedy, but I see it as a descant on the timelessness and universality of the ideas expressed in pop music. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "descant" means when you can explain it without saying "discourse" or "discuss." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "When _____, I can't help myself from enthusiastically descanting on _____." Example: "When kids tell me that their English teachers forbid them from writing in the passive voice, I can't help myself from enthusiastically descanting on good reasons to break that rule." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Subject Line Redux! You know how I fill the subject line of each Make Your Point email with a little comment about the word? Let's revisit some of those subject lines; they make a good study tool. That is, you'll improve your chances of recalling our words when you need them later if you do this now: look at the little comment from the subject line and use that to recall the word, its meaning, and how it connects to the little comment. (For more on active recall and how you can employ it to strengthen your vocabulary, please go here.) In each issue this month, I'll share a puzzle or other activity that prompts you to recall 5 previous words based on their subject lines. (To make your own activities like these, check out the fun and useful Vocabulary Worksheet Factory.) And I'll share the answers in the following issue. From our previous issue:  Answers: Try this today: review today's word: 1. A close opposite of DESCANT is A. FURY. B. QUIP. C. DETAIL. 2. In her descant _____, Dr. Winell _____. A. from outdated labels .. celebrates our increasingly humane understanding of mental illness B. on Religious Trauma Syndrome .. calls into question the taboo against criticizing religion C. into private practice .. helps her clients recognize, then tame, their own "idea monsters" Answers are below. a final word: Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From Liesl's blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. B 2. B