cantilena

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian or Latin cantilēna.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kæntɪˈleɪnə/

Noun

cantilena (plural cantilenas)

1. (music) A vocal melody or instrumental passage in a smooth, lyrical style.
   • 1964, Anthony Burgess, The Eve of St Venus:

     He played a lazy tune that sinuated from C sharp down to G natural and back again. Astonishing that he could flute so lazy a cantilena while chasing nymphs.

   • 1982, Gene Wolfe, chapter 27, in The Sword of the Lictor (The Book of the New Sun; 3), New York: Timescape, →ISBN, pages 203-204:

     The sounds of insects, of which I am seldom conscious unless I have not heard them in some time, resumed, with a noise that reminded me of the tuning of the strings in the Blue Hall before the first cantilena began, a noise I sometimes used to listen to when I lay on my pallet near the open port of the apprentices' dormitory.

Anagrams

• lancinate

Finnish

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian cantilena.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɑntile(ː)nɑ/, [ˈkɑ̝n̪t̪iˌle̞(ː)nɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -enɑ

Noun

cantilena

1. cantilena

Declension

Inflection of cantilena (Kotus type 13/katiska, no gradation)
nominative		cantilena	cantilenat
genitive		cantilenan	cantilenoiden cantilenoitten cantilenojen
partitive		cantilenaa	cantilenoita cantilenoja
illative		cantilenaan	cantilenoihin
		singular	plural
nominative		cantilena	cantilenat
accusative	nom.	cantilena	cantilenat
	gen.	cantilenan
genitive		cantilenan	cantilenoiden cantilenoitten cantilenojen cantilenain rare
partitive		cantilenaa	cantilenoita cantilenoja
inessive		cantilenassa	cantilenoissa
elative		cantilenasta	cantilenoista
illative		cantilenaan	cantilenoihin
adessive		cantilenalla	cantilenoilla
ablative		cantilenalta	cantilenoilta
allative		cantilenalle	cantilenoille
essive		cantilenana	cantilenoina
translative		cantilenaksi	cantilenoiksi
abessive		cantilenatta	cantilenoitta
instructive		—	cantilenoin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of cantilena (Kotus type 13/katiska, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative cantilenani cantilenani accusative nom. cantilenani cantilenani gen. cantilenani genitive cantilenani cantilenoideni cantilenoitteni cantilenojeni cantilenaini rare partitive cantilenaani cantilenoitani cantilenojani inessive cantilenassani cantilenoissani elative cantilenastani cantilenoistani illative cantilenaani cantilenoihini adessive cantilenallani cantilenoillani ablative cantilenaltani cantilenoiltani allative cantilenalleni cantilenoilleni essive cantilenanani cantilenoinani translative cantilenakseni cantilenoikseni abessive cantilenattani cantilenoittani instructive — — comitative — cantilenoineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative cantilenasi cantilenasi accusative nom. cantilenasi cantilenasi gen. cantilenasi genitive cantilenasi cantilenoidesi cantilenoittesi cantilenojesi cantilenaisi rare partitive cantilenaasi cantilenoitasi cantilenojasi inessive cantilenassasi cantilenoissasi elative cantilenastasi cantilenoistasi illative cantilenaasi cantilenoihisi adessive cantilenallasi cantilenoillasi ablative cantilenaltasi cantilenoiltasi allative cantilenallesi cantilenoillesi essive cantilenanasi cantilenoinasi translative cantilenaksesi cantilenoiksesi abessive cantilenattasi cantilenoittasi instructive — — comitative — cantilenoinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative cantilenamme cantilenamme accusative nom. cantilenamme cantilenamme gen. cantilenamme genitive cantilenamme cantilenoidemme cantilenoittemme cantilenojemme cantilenaimme rare partitive cantilenaamme cantilenoitamme cantilenojamme inessive cantilenassamme cantilenoissamme elative cantilenastamme cantilenoistamme illative cantilenaamme cantilenoihimme adessive cantilenallamme cantilenoillamme ablative cantilenaltamme cantilenoiltamme allative cantilenallemme cantilenoillemme essive cantilenanamme cantilenoinamme translative cantilenaksemme cantilenoiksemme abessive cantilenattamme cantilenoittamme instructive — — comitative — cantilenoinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative cantilenanne cantilenanne accusative nom. cantilenanne cantilenanne gen. cantilenanne genitive cantilenanne cantilenoidenne cantilenoittenne cantilenojenne cantilenainne rare partitive cantilenaanne cantilenoitanne cantilenojanne inessive cantilenassanne cantilenoissanne elative cantilenastanne cantilenoistanne illative cantilenaanne cantilenoihinne adessive cantilenallanne cantilenoillanne ablative cantilenaltanne cantilenoiltanne allative cantilenallenne cantilenoillenne essive cantilenananne cantilenoinanne translative cantilenaksenne cantilenoiksenne abessive cantilenattanne cantilenoittanne instructive — — comitative — cantilenoinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative cantilenansa cantilenansa accusative nom. cantilenansa cantilenansa gen. cantilenansa genitive cantilenansa cantilenoidensa cantilenoittensa cantilenojensa cantilenainsa rare partitive cantilenaansa cantilenoitaan cantilenojaan cantilenoitansa cantilenojansa inessive cantilenassaan cantilenassansa cantilenoissaan cantilenoissansa elative cantilenastaan cantilenastansa cantilenoistaan cantilenoistansa illative cantilenaansa cantilenoihinsa adessive cantilenallaan cantilenallansa cantilenoillaan cantilenoillansa ablative cantilenaltaan cantilenaltansa cantilenoiltaan cantilenoiltansa allative cantilenalleen cantilenallensa cantilenoilleen cantilenoillensa essive cantilenanaan cantilenanansa cantilenoinaan cantilenoinansa translative cantilenakseen cantilenaksensa cantilenoikseen cantilenoiksensa abessive cantilenattaan cantilenattansa cantilenoittaan cantilenoittansa instructive — — comitative — cantilenoineen cantilenoinensa

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kan.tiˈlɛ.na/
• Rhymes: -ɛna
• Hyphenation: can‧ti‧lè‧na

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Latin cantilēna.

Noun

cantilena f (plural cantilene)

1. lullaby

   Synonym: filastrocca

2. singsong
3. whining, cant

Derived terms

• cantilenare

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

cantilena

1. inflection of cantilenare:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Anagrams

• cilentana, lanciante

Latin

Etymology

From *cantilō +‎ -ēla, the attested cantilō, cantillō being back-formed.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /kan.tiˈleː.na/, [kän̪t̪ɪˈɫ̪eːnä]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /kan.tiˈle.na/, [kän̪t̪iˈlɛːnä]

Noun

cantilēna f (genitive cantilēnae); first declension

1. old song
2. oft-repeated saying
3. gossip

Declension

First-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	cantilēna	cantilēnae
genitive	cantilēnae	cantilēnārum
dative	cantilēnae	cantilēnīs
accusative	cantilēnam	cantilēnās
ablative	cantilēnā	cantilēnīs
vocative	cantilēna	cantilēnae

Descendants

• English: cantilena
• Italian: cantilena
• Portuguese: cantilena
• Sicilian: cantilena
• Spanish: cantilena
• Swedish: cantilena

References

• “cantilena”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “cantilena”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• cantilena in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• cantilena in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Breyer, Gertrud (1993) Etruskisches Sprachgut im Lateinischen unter Ausschluß des spezifisch onomastischen Bereiches (Orientalia Analecta Lovaniensia; 53), Leuven: Uitgeverij Peeters en Departement Oriëntalistiek, →ISBN, page 55

Portuguese

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /kɐ̃.t͡ʃiˈlẽ.nɐ/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /kɐ̃.t͡ʃiˈlẽ.nɐ/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /kɐ̃.t͡ʃiˈle.na/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /kɐ̃.tiˈlɛ.nɐ/

Noun

cantilena f (plural cantilenas)

1. (Portugal) Synonym of parlenda

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin cantilēna.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kantiˈlena/ [kãn̪.t̪iˈle.na]
• Rhymes: -ena
• Syllabification: can‧ti‧le‧na

Noun

cantilena f (plural cantilenas)

1. cantilena

Related terms

• cantaleta
• cantinela

 

Further reading

• “cantilena”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10