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While we are on the subject of Latin, we have the church to thank or blame for introducing of the set of words we are about to discuss into our vocabulary. It was ecclesiastical terminology that brought this bit of Latin into common parlance in English. Before we delve into the numerous variations and connotations we find in English, we should first wander over to the Mediterranean, and look at what Latin has to say about it. The Latin "canto" means to sing, recite or declaim in a singing tone, but could also mean enchant or to use charms or incantations. We see quite clearly that this idea of magic associated with recital was not limited to the English or Germanic world, nor were the magical connotations imposed on the Latin root by the English. Looking further, we see that a "cantus" was not only a song or melody but could also be an incantation or even a prophesy or prediction. Adding the prefix "in-" to "cant," we get "incantatus," meaning literally to sing over. This has the same meaning as the phrase "to cast a spell over," now that we understand the true meaning of "spell." In English, to "cant" means to intone or intonation. We received this directly from Ecclesiastical Latin. The more anglicized version of the word is "chant," which means relatively the same thing. These words retain their primary meanings of sing or recite. "Incant" and the more anglicized "enchant" came into the language also, retaining their magical meanings. Indeed, we see that little has changed in these words from the Latin. Middle English made more use of the word "chant" in connection with magic. "Chantry" is still sometimes used to denote magical incantations. This derives from the Middle English "chauntry," which in turn derives from the Old French "chanterie." "Chanter" and "Chantress" are generally archaic words for "sorcerer" and "sorceress" respectively. They were more popular in their Middle English forms. It hardly needs to be pointed out that "enchant" and "enchantment" are still in current use. They generally denote folk magic, and have been slightly removed in their meanings from the concept of "chanting" to a more general meaning of witchery or hexing. "Enchanting" has fallen to near mundane use, along with "fascinating" and "charming." These words are generally used with no magical connotations whatsoever in Modern English. The more Latin forms "incant" and "incantation" have retained their Latin meanings, for the most part, and are used in technical works on the occult, both from a working and historical perspective. |