[des.cant] n [ME dyscant, fr. ONF & ML; ONF descant, fr. ML discantus, fr. L dis- + cantus song--more at chant] (14c) 1 a: a melody or counterpoint sung above the plainsong of the tenor b: the art of composing or improvising contrapuntal part music; also: the music so composed or improvised c: soprano, treble d: a superimposed counterpoint to a simple melody sung typically by some or all of the sopranos
2: discourse or comment on a theme
[2]des.cant vi (15c) 1: to sing or play a descant; broadly: sing
2: comment, discourse