cantor

See also: Cantor

English

A Cantor singing

Alternative forms

• cantour (obsolete)

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *keh₂n-

Proto-Indo-European *-éti

Proto-Indo-European *kh₂néti

Proto-Italic *kanō

Latin canō

Proto-Indo-European *-tōr

Proto-Italic *-tōr

Latin -tor

Latin cantorbor.

English cantor

Borrowed from Latin cantor, agent noun from canere (“to sing”) + -tor (agent suffix). Doublet of chanter.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkæntɔː(ɹ)/, /ˈkæntə(ɹ)/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Homophone: canter
• Rhymes: -æntə(ɹ)

Noun

cantor (plural cantors)

1. 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.

2. (Judaism) A prayer leader in a Jewish service; a hazzan.

Derived terms

• cantoral
• cantoress
• cantorial
• cantorship
• cantress
• subcantor

Related terms

• cantorate
• cantrix
• chant

Translations

singer

• Czech: kantor (cs) m, kantorka f
• Danish: kantor c
• Dutch: voorzanger (nl) m
• Finnish: kanttori (fi), esilaulaja
• German: Kantor (de) m, Kantorin (de) f, Vorsänger m, Vorsängerin f
• Hebrew: חזן \ חַזָּן (he) m (khazán)
• Hungarian: kántor (hu)
• Italian: cantore (it) m
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: kantor m

  Nynorsk: kantor m

• Polish: kantor (pl) m, chazan (pl) m (Jewish)
• Swedish: kantor (sv) c
• Turkish:

  Ottoman Turkish: شرقیجی (şarkıcı)

• Yiddish: חזן m (khazan) (Jewish)

See also

• song leader

Anagrams

• Carnot, Carton, Catron, Contra, TRACON, carton, contra, contra-, corant, craton, tracon

Aragonese

Etymology

From Latin cantōrem (“male singer”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kanˈto(ɾ)/
• Rhymes: -o(ɾ)
• Syllabification: can‧tor

Adjective

cantor (feminine cantora, masculine plural cantors, feminine plural cantoras)

1. who sings, singing

Noun

cantor m (plural cantors, feminine cantora, feminine plural cantoras)

1. singer

   Synonyms: cantaire, cantant, cantador

References

• “cantor”, in Diccionario ortografico de l’aragonés (seguntes la PO de l’EFA)‎^[1], Zaragoza: EDACAR, 2023, →ISSN, page 426
• Martínez Tur, Feliciano; Rodés Orquín, Francho (2022), “cantor”, in Diccionario aragonés-castellano-catalán‎^[2], Zaragoza, Spain: Estudio de Filolochía Aragonesa, Edicions Dichitals de l’Academia de l’Aragonés, published April 2025, →ISSN, page 206

Asturian

Etymology

From Latin cantōrem (“male singer”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kanˈtoɾ/ [kãn̪ˈt̪oɾ]
• Rhymes: -oɾ
• Syllabification: can‧tor

Adjective

cantor m sg (feminine cantora, masculine plural cantoros, feminine plural cantores, neuter cantoro)

1. who sings, singing

   Synonym: cantador

Noun

cantor m sg (feminine singular cantora, masculine plural cantoros, feminine plural cantores)

1. singer

   Synonym: cantador

Related terms

• cantar

References

• “cantor”, in Diccionariu de la llingua asturiana [Dictionary of the Asturian Language] (in Asturian), 1st edition, Academy of the Asturian Language [Asturian: Academia de la Llingua Asturiana], 2000, →ISBN
• García Arias, Xosé Lluis (2002–2004), “cantor”, in Diccionario general de la lengua asturiana [General Dictionary of the Asturian Language] (overall work in Spanish), Editorial Prensa Asturiana, →ISBN

Catalan

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin cantōrem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern) [kənˈtu]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Central) [kənˈto]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [kanˈtoɾ]
• IPA^(key): (Northwestern) [kanˈto]

Noun

cantor m (plural cantors, feminine cantora, feminine plural cantores)

1. singer (person who sings as a job)

   Hypernyms: cantaire, cantador

Related terms

• cantar

Further reading

• “cantor”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “cantor”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026
• “cantor” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• Alcover, Antoni Maria; Moll, Francesc de Borja (1963), “cantor”, in Diccionari català-valencià-balear (in Catalan)

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈkan.tɔr]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈkan.tor]

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *keh₂n-

Proto-Indo-European *-éti

Proto-Indo-European *kh₂néti

Proto-Italic *kanō

Latin canō

Proto-Indo-European *-tōr

Proto-Italic *-tōr

Latin -tor

Latin cantor

From canō (“to sing”) + -tor.

Noun

cantor m (genitive cantōris, feminine cantrīx); third declension

1. singer (male) (verbal noun of canō (nomen agentis))

   Synonym: cantātor

   • Vulgata Latina Reg. II.19.35:

     vel audire possum ultra vocem cantorum atque cantricum?

     Can I still hear the voices of male and female singers?

2. player (male)

Declension

Third-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	cantor	cantōrēs
genitive	cantōris	cantōrum
dative	cantōrī	cantōribus
accusative	cantōrem	cantōrēs
ablative	cantōre	cantōribus
vocative	cantor	cantōrēs

Coordinate terms

• cantrīx

Related terms

• canō
• canor
• canōrus
• cantāmen
• canticum
• cantiō
• cantō
• cantus

Descendants

• Asturian: cantor
• Catalan: cantor
• Champenois: chantou
• English: cantor
• Franc-Comtois: tchaintou
• French: chantre, chanteur
• Friulian: cjantôr
• Galician: cantor
• → German: Kantor
• Italian: cantore
• Norman: chanteux
• Portuguese: cantor
• Romanian: cantor
• Sardinian: cantore, cantori
• Spanish: cantor
• Swedish: kantor
• Venetan: cantor
• Walloons: tchanteu

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

cantor

1. first-person singular present passive indicative of cantō

References

• “cantor”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “cantor”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “cantor”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.

Portuguese

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *keh₂n-

Proto-Indo-European *-éti

Proto-Indo-European *kh₂néti

Proto-Italic *kanō

Latin canō

Proto-Indo-European *-tōr

Proto-Italic *-tōr

Latin -tor

Latin cantōrem

Portuguese cantor

Inherited from Latin cantōrem (“male singer”).

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /kɐ̃ˈtoʁ/ [kɐ̃ˈtoh]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /kɐ̃ˈtoʁ/ [kɐ̃ˈtoh]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /kɐ̃ˈtoɾ/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /kɐ̃ˈtoʁ/ [kɐ̃ˈtoχ]
  • (Caipira) IPA^(key): /kɐ̃ˈtoɻ/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /kɐ̃ˈtoɾ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /kɐ̃ˈtoɾ/
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /kɐ̃ˈto.ɾi/

• Hyphenation: can‧tor

Noun

cantor m (plural cantores, feminine cantora, feminine plural cantoras)

1. singer (person who sings)

Derived terms

• cantorzinho (diminutive)
• cantautor

Related terms

• cantar
• cântico
• canto
• cantoria
• encantar

Further reading

• “cantor”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “cantor”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Romanian

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *keh₂n-

Proto-Indo-European *-éti

Proto-Indo-European *kh₂néti

Proto-Italic *kanō

Latin canō

Proto-Indo-European *-tōr

Proto-Italic *-tōr

Latin -tor

Latin cantorlbor.

Romanian cantor

Learned borrowing from Latin cantor.

Noun

cantor m (plural cantori)

1. cantor

Declension

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	cantor	cantorul	cantori	cantorii
genitive-dative	cantor	cantorului	cantori	cantorilor
vocative	cantorule		cantorilor

Spanish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *keh₂n-

Proto-Indo-European *-éti

Proto-Indo-European *kh₂néti

Proto-Italic *kanō

Latin canō

Proto-Indo-European *-tōr

Proto-Italic *-tōr

Latin -tor

Latin cantōrem

Spanish cantor

Inherited from Latin cantōrem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kanˈtoɾ/ [kãn̪ˈt̪oɾ]
• Rhymes: -oɾ
• Syllabification: can‧tor

Adjective

cantor (feminine cantora, masculine plural cantores, feminine plural cantoras)

1. singing

Derived terms

• ave cantora
• cisne cantor
• gorrión cantor
• pájaro cantor

Noun

cantor m (plural cantores, feminine cantora, feminine plural cantoras)

1. singer

Related terms

• cantar
• canto

Further reading

• “cantor”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

Anagrams

• contar
• contra
• cortan
• tranco

Venetan

Etymology

From Latin cantor, cantōrem.

Noun

cantor m (plural cantori) or cantor m (plural canturi)

1. singer, chorister

Welsh

Etymology

From Middle Welsh kantor, from Latin cantor.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkantɔr/

Noun

cantor f (plural cantorion or cantoriaid, female equivalent cantores)

1. singer

   Synonym: canwr

Mutation

Mutated forms of cantor

radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
cantor	gantor	nghantor	chantor

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke, et al., editors (1950–present), “cantor”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies