cant
UK: kænt | US: kænt
n. 1. Hypocritical or insincere language, especially moral or religious jargon.
n. 2. The specialized vocabulary of a particular group or profession (e.g., thieves' cant).
n. 3. A tilt or slope; an oblique angle (archaic).
vi. 1. To speak hypocritically or in jargon.
The word "cant" traces back to Latin cantare ("to sing"), evolving through Old French chanter with the same meaning. By the 16th century, it acquired the sense of "whining speech" (e.g., beggars' pleas), later narrowing to "insincere religious talk" and eventually any jargon or slang. The unrelated architectural meaning ("slope") derives from Celtic cant ("edge"), showing how homonyms can arise from distinct roots.
Politicians often resort to cant when avoiding direct answers.
The thieves communicated in their own secret cant.
The tower stood at a slight cant after the earthquake.
She dismissed his apology as mere cant.
Linguists study the cant of subcultures to understand social dynamics.