An Encylopedia Britannica Company

Learner's Dictionary mobile search

×

Learner's Dictionary

descant

1 ENTRIES FOUND:

descant (noun)

Save

descant /ˈdɛsˌkænt/ noun

plural descants

descant

/ˈdɛsˌkænt/

noun

plural descants

Learner's definition of DESCANT

[count] music

: a high melody that is sung or played along with the main melody of a song

Comments & Questions

Comments & Questions

What made you want to look up descant? Include any comments and questions you have about this word.

ASK THE EDITOR

What is the difference between a memoir and an autobiography?

See the answer »

LEARNER'S QUIZZES

Vocabulary Quiz Icon

Vocabulary Quiz

Test your word power

Take the Quiz »

Name That Thing Icon

Name That Thing

Take our visual quiz

Test Your Knowledge »

LEARNER'S WORD OF THE DAY

Hurdle Illustration

one of a series of barriers to be jumped over in a race

Learn More »

The Merriam-Webster
Unabridged Dictionary

Merriam-Webster Unabridged Book Cover

Online access to a
legendary resource
Log In or Sign Up »

Learning Spanish?
We can help

Learner's Dictionary Book Cover

Visit our free site designed
especially for learners and
teachers of Spanish
SpanishCentral.com »

Woman With Cell Phone

Our Dictionary,
On Your Devices

Merriam-Webster,
With Voice Search
Get the Free Apps! »

Merriam-Webster's
Visual Dictionaries

Visual Dictionary Book Cover

The new edition of the
remarkable reference
features 8,000
illustrations.
Learn More »

Join Us

Learner's Dictionary
on Twitter »

Learner's Dictionary
on Facebook »

Bookstore: Digital and Print

Merriam-Webster references for Mobile, Kindle, print, and more. See all »

Other Merriam-Webster Dictionaries

Webster's Unabridged Dictionary » Britannica English - Arabic Translation » Nglish - Spanish-English Translation »

Spanish Central » Visual Dictionary » WordCentral for Kids »

Browse the Learner's Dictionary

© 2020 Merriam-Webster, Incorporated