I. cant 1 /kænt/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable]
[ Date: 1600-1700 ; Origin: cant 'to speak, talk like a beggar trying to get money' (16-18 centuries) , from Latin cantare ; ⇨ ↑ chant 1 ]
1 . insincere talk about moral or religious principles by someone who is pretending to be better than they really are
2 . formal special words used by a particular group of people, especially in order to keep things secret SYN slang :
thieves’ cant
II. cant 2 BrE AmE verb [intransitive and transitive]
to lean, or make something lean