cantilena

[ kan-tl-ee-nuh ]

noun

1. a simple, lyric, melodic passage for voice or instrument.

cantilena

/ ˌkæntɪˈleɪnə /

noun

1. a smooth flowing style in the writing of vocal music

Word History and Origins

Origin of cantilena¹

1730–40; < Italian < Latin cantilēna refrain, perhaps by dissimilation from *cantilēla, derivative of cantus song; cant ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of cantilena¹

C18: Italian, from Latin cantilēna a song

Example Sentences

Cantilena’s daughter, Amy, also died, Thomas said in a statement.

From Washington Post

The uniformed services university described him as a friend of Cantilena’s family.

From Washington Post

Cantilena was flying a single-engine plane that crashed near Oldenburg, Ind., on Saturday.

From Washington Post

One was Louis R. Cantilena Jr., a professor of medicine and pharmacology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, according to Richard W. Thomas, the university’s president.

From Washington Post

Stephen Wheeles? identified them Tuesday as 63-year-old pilot Louis Cantilena and his daughter, 31-year-old Amy Cantilena, both of Potomac, Maryland, and 65-year-old Paul Schuda of Arlington, Virginia.

From Seattle Times