Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Canter
Can′ter
(kăn′tẽr)
, Noun.
1.
A moderate and easy gallop adapted to pleasure riding.
☞ The canter is a thoroughly artificial pace, at first extremely tiring to the horse, and generally only to be produced in him by the restraint of a powerful bit, which compels him to throw a great part of his weight on his haunches . . . There is so great a variety in the mode adopted by different horses for performing the canter, that no single description will suffice, nor indeed is it easy . . . to define any one of them.
J. H. Walsh.
2.
A rapid or easy passing over.
A rapid
canter
in the Times over all the topics. Sir J. Stephen.
Can′ter
(kăn′tẽr)
, Verb.
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Cantered
(kăn′tẽrd)
; p. pr. & vb. n.
Cantering
.] To move in a canter.
Can′ter
,Verb.
T.
To cause, as a horse, to go at a canter; to ride (a horse) at a canter.
Cant′er
,Noun.
1.
One who cants or whines; a beggar.
2.
One who makes hypocritical pretensions to goodness; one who uses canting language.
The day when he was a
canter
and a rebel. Macaulay.
Webster 1828 Edition
Canter
CANTER
,Verb.
I.
CANTER
,Verb.
T.
CANTER
,Noun.
1.
A moderate gallop.2.
One who cants or whines.Definition 2024
canter
canter
English
Noun
canter (plural canters)
- A gait of a horse between a trot and a gallop, consisting of three beats and a "suspension" phase, where there are no feet on the ground. Also describing this gait on other four legged animals.
- A ride on a horse at such speed.
Translations
gait
Verb
canter (third-person singular simple present canters, present participle cantering, simple past and past participle cantered)
- (intransitive) To move at such pace.
- (intransitive) To cause to move at a canter; to ride (a horse) at a canter.
Derived terms
Translations
Etymology 2
Noun
canter (plural canters)
- One who cants or whines; a beggar.
- One who makes hypocritical pretensions to goodness; one who uses canting language.
- Macaulay
- The day when he was a canter and a rebel.
- Macaulay
Anagrams
Old French
Etymology
Verb
canter
- (Northern dialect) Alternative form of chanter
- circa 1170, Wace, Le Roman de Rou:
-
Li Eveske canta la messe
- The bishop performed mass
-
Li Eveske canta la messe
-
Conjugation
This verb conjugates as a first-group verb ending in -er. The forms that would normally end in *-ts, *-tt are modified to z, t. Old French conjugation varies significantly by date and by region. The following conjugation should be treated as a guide.
Conjugation of canter (see also Appendix:Old French verbs)
| simple | compound | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| infinitive | canter | avoir canté | |||||
| gerund | en cantant | Use the gerund of avoir followed by the past participle | |||||
| present participle | cantant | ||||||
| past participle | canté | ||||||
| person | singular | plural | |||||
| first | second | third | first | second | third | ||
| indicative | jo | tu | il | nos | vos | il | |
| simple tenses |
present | cant | cantes | cante | cantons | cantez | cantent |
| imperfect | cantoie, canteie, cantoe, canteve | cantoies, canteies, cantoes, canteves | cantoit, canteit, cantot, canteve | cantiiens, cantiens | cantiiez, cantiez | cantoient, canteient, cantoent, cantevent | |
| preterite | cantai | cantas | canta | cantames | cantastes | canterent | |
| future | canterai | canteras | cantera | canterons | canteroiz, cantereiz, canterez | canteront | |
| conditional | canteroie, cantereie | canteroies, cantereies | canteroit, cantereit | canteriiens, canteriens | canteriiez, canteriez | canteroient, cantereient | |
| compound tenses |
present perfect | Use the present tense of avoir followed by the past participle | |||||
| pluperfect | Use the imperfect tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| past anterior | Use the preterite tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| future perfect | Use the future tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| conditional perfect | Use the conditional tense of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| subjunctive | que jo | que tu | qu’il | que nos | que vos | qu’il | |
| simple tenses |
present | cant | canz | cant | cantons | cantez | cantent |
| imperfect | cantasse | cantasses | cantast | cantissons, cantissiens | cantissoiz, cantissez, cantissiez | cantassent | |
| compound tenses |
past | Use the present subjunctive of avoir followed by the past participle | |||||
| pluperfect | Use the imperfect subjunctive of avoir followed by the past participle | ||||||
| imperative | – | tu | – | nos | vos | – | |
| — | cante | — | cantons | cantez | — | ||