canter

• IPA^(key): /ˈkæntɚ/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æntə(ɹ)

Short for Canterbury pace, from the supposed easy pace of medieval pilgrims to Canterbury.

canter (plural canters)

1. A gait of a horse between a trot and a gallop, consisting of three beats and a "suspension" phase, where there are no feet on the ground. Also describing this gait on other four-legged animals.
2. A ride on a horse at such speed.

• counter-canter

canter (third-person singular simple present canters, present participle cantering, simple past and past participle cantered)

1. (intransitive) To move at such pace.
2. (transitive) To cause to move at a canter; to ride (a horse) at a canter.

• counter-canter
• in a canter, at a canter

cant +‎ -er

canter (plural canters)

1. One who cants or whines; a beggar.
2. One who makes hypocritical pretensions to goodness; one who uses canting language.
   • 1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter 11, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volumes (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC:

     The days when he was a canter and a rebel.

   • 1974, Bill Wannan, With Malice Aforethought, page 85:

     From lawn-sleeved ranters to kerbstone canters, From bishops to Army lasses.

• Cretan, carnet, centra, creant, nectar, recant, tanrec, trance

canter

1. first-person singular present passive subjunctive of cantō

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

canter

1. (nautical) to list
2. (reflexive) to lean

canter

1. (northern) Alternative form of chanter
   • c. 1170, Wace, Le Roman de Rou:

     Li Eveske canta la messe

     The bishop performed mass

This verb conjugates as a first-group verb ending in -er. The forms that would normally end in *-ts, *-tt are modified to z, t. Old French conjugation varies significantly by date and by region. The following conjugation should be treated as a guide.

From Old French canter, from Latin cantāre.

canter

1. to sing

   Ej vouroè prinde ed ches lchons por aprinde à canter conme i feut.

   I would like to take some lessons to learn to sing correctly.