recant definition

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɹəˈkænt/

  • Audio (UK)

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ænt

Etymology 1

First attested in 1535, from Latin recantare, present active infinitive of recanto (“to sing back, reecho, sing again, repeat in singing, recant, recall, revoke, charm back or away”), from re- (“back”) + canto (“to chant, to sing”), frequentative of cano.

Verb

recant (third-person singular simple present recants, present participle recanting, simple past and past participle recanted)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To withdraw or repudiate a statement or opinion formerly expressed, especially formally and publicly.

   Synonyms: abjure, disavow, disown, recall, retract, revoke, take back, unsay, withcall; see also Thesaurus:recant

   Convince me that I am wrong, and I will recant.

   • 1667, John Milton, “Book IV”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], OCLC 228722708; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, OCLC 230729554:

     How soon […] ease would recant / Vows made in pain, as violent and void!

   • 2020 September 6, “Joe Biden’s China Journey”, in New York Times‎^[1]:

     But as Mr. Trump denounces what he describes as failures by the Washington establishment on China, Mr. Biden, an avatar of that establishment, is not recanting his past enthusiasm for engagement.

Translations

Related terms

• recantation
• recanter

See also

• contradict
• recall
• revoke

Etymology 2

From re- +‎ cant.

Verb

recant (third-person singular simple present recants, present participle recanting, simple past and past participle recanted)

1. To give a new cant (slant, angle) to something, in particular railway track on a curve.
   • 1941 June, Cecil J. Allen, “British Locomotive Practice and Performance”, in Railway Magazine, page 263:

     Numerous curves, which previously had given no trouble at 75 and 80 m.p.h., were realigned and recanted to adapt them for 90 m.p.h. and more, [...].

Further reading

• recant in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• recant in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• recant at OneLook Dictionary Search.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2022), “recant”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Anagrams

• Canter, Cretan, canter, carnet, centra, creant, nectar, tanrec, trance