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can·tor

(kăntər)

1. The Jewish religious official who leads the musical part of a service.

2. The person who leads a church choir or congregation in singing; a precentor.

[Latin, singer, from canere, to sing; see kan- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

can·tori·al (kăn-tôrē-əl, -tŏr-) adj.

Can·tor

(kăntər), Georg Ferdinand Ludwig Philipp 1845-1918.

Russian-born German mathematician who did groundbreaking work in set theory, especially concerning sets with infinite numbers of members.

Can·tor

(kăntər), Eddie Originally Edward Israel Iskowitz. 1892-1964.

American entertainer known especially for his energetic, goggle-eyed performances in vaudeville and on Broadway.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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