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to descant

to descant

9.4
To talk for a long time about a subject in detail
  • verb
  • /dɪˈskænt/
  • Formal
translation icon : hablar extensamente
  • He descanted on the history of the architecture for over an hour.

Examples

  • The professor descanted upon the importance of ethical conduct in research.

  • She often descants on her favorite novels during book club meetings.

  • She loves to descant about her travels.

  • The professor descants on philosophy during his lectures.

  • During the lecture, the professor began to descant on the importance of environmental preservation.

  • She loves to descant about her travels, sharing every detail of her adventures.

  • At the conference, he chose to descant about the recent developments in renewable energy technology.

Synonyms

to dilate
vsto descant
  • Formal
2 7.5

To talk or write for a long time about a subject

is more about a particular subject than widening the topic
to discourse
vsto descant
  • Formal
1 7.8

To speak or write for a long time about a topic

is less tied to formality and more about subject detail
to expatiate
vsto descant
  • Formal
1 9.9

To talk or write for a long time about a subject

is more focused on detailed treatment of a specific subject
to palaver
vsto descant
1 9.4

To talk for a long time about unimportant things

is usually more serious or detailed about a particular subject rather than trivial talk
to dissertate
vsto descant
  • Formal
9.9

To speak or write at length about a subject in a formal way

is used more widely for length without the academic restriction
to perorate
vsto descant
  • Formal
9.9

To end a formal speech with a long, strong summary

is more general talking or writing rather than a formal concluding speech

Antonyms

90 3.0

Present the main points of a text in a short, clear way

Phrasal Verbs

to descant on
  • Specialized
9.9

To sing a higher melody above the main tune

How Lengthy

to expatiate
  • Formal
1 9.9
to descant
  • Formal
9.4
to expound
  • Formal
20 7.3
to discuss
1.6
to comment
589 1.7

Surface Forms

descant infinitive
descanted past
descanted past participle
descanting present participle
descants third person singular

Etymology

Descant can also mean 'talk at length'; a helpful way to remember this is to think of 'singing' about a subject. The word moved from a long, elaborate singing idea to long, detailed speech, so to descant on something is to speak or write about it in a long, decorative way.