canto, āvi, ātum, 1, v. n. and a. [cano], freq. in form, but mostly agrees in meaning with cano.
I Neutr. , to produce melodious sounds (by the voice or an instrument), to sound , sing , play (class. in prose and poetry; rare in Cic.).
A Of men: Pamphilam Cantatum provocemus, Ter. Eun. 443: saltare et cantare, Cic. Cat. 2, 10, 23: neque enim vocum suavitate videntur aut novitate quădam cantandi revocare eos solitae (sirenes), id. Fin. 5, 18, 49: Arcades ambo Et cantare pares, Verg. E. 7, 5; 10, 32: cantando victus, id. ib. 3, 21; Tib. 2, 1, 66: adimam cantare severis, Hor. Ep. 1, 19, 9: ut (cantores) numquam inducant animum cantare rogati, id. S. 1, 3, 2; Suet. Tit. 3: non est Cantandum, there is no occasion for singing , i. e. for imagination , fiction , Juv. 4, 35.—Of an actor: cantante eo (Nerone) ne necessariă quidem causă excedere theatro licitum erat, Suet. Ner. 23; 20; id. Vesp. 4 al.; cf. under II. B. 2.: conducta veni, ut fidibus cantarem seni, Plaut. Ep. 3, 4, 64: structis avenis, Ov. M. 1, 677: ad chordarum sonum, Nep. Epam. 2, 1.—Less freq. of instrumental music, and only with abl. of the instrument (cf. cano): tibiis, Nep. Epam. 2, 1; id. ib. praef. § 1; Vulg. Luc. 7, 32: lituo, tubă, Gell. 20, 2, 2: calamo, Sen. Ben. 4, 6, 5: ad manum histrioni, in comedy, to sing and play while the actor accompanies the song with gestures or dancing , Liv. 7, 2, 10; cf. Val. Max. 2, 4, 4.— Pass. impers. : in caelo cantatur et psallitur, Arn. 3, 21.—Prov.: surdo, Prop. 4 (5), 8, 47, and ad surdas aures, Ov. Am. 3, 7, 61, to preach to deaf ears; cf. cano, II. B.—
2 Of the singing pronunciation of an orator, to declaim in a singing tone , to sing , drawl : si cantas, male cantas, si legis, cantas, C. Caesar ap. Quint. 1, 8, 2; 11, 1, 56; 11, 3, 57; 11, 3, 58; 11, 3, 59; 11, 3, 60; cf. Juv. 10, 178.—Hence, to recite , declaim : quaecumque sedens modo legerat, haec eadem... cantabit versibus isdem, Juv. 7, 153.—
B Of birds and fowls: prius quam galli cantent, crow , Plaut. Mil. 3, 1, 96; so, deos gallis signum dedisse cantandi, Cic. Div. 2, 26, 57: cantantes aves, Prop. 4 (5), 9, 30.—
C Transf., of instruments, to sound , resound : pastoris bucina cantat, Prop. 4 (5), 10, 30: cantabat fanis, cantabat tibia ludis, Ov. F. 6, 659 sq.—
II Act. , to make some person or thing the subject of one’s singing , playing , or song (cf. cano, II.).
A With the song itself, carmen , versus , etc., as object, to sing , play , recite : carmina non prius Audita canto, Hor. C. 3, 1, 4: rustica verba, Tib. 2, 1, 52: Hymen cantatus, Ov. H. 12, 137; cf.: Hymenaeum qui cantent, Ter. Ad. 905: obscena, Ov. F. 3, 676.—
B With particular persons or things, the subjects of song, as objects, to sing , to celebrate or praise in song , sing of , write poetry upon , etc.: celebrem deum, Tib. 2, 1, 83: absentem amicam, Hor. S. 1, 5, 15: rivos, id. C. 2, 19, 11: convivia, proelia virginum, id. ib. 1, 6, 19: Augusti tropaea, id. ib. 2, 9, 19: Pythia (sc. certamina), id. A. P. 414: cantari dignus, Verg. E. 5, 54: per totum cantabimur orbem, Ov. Am. 1, 3, 25; 2, 17, 33; cf.: illa meis multum cantata libellis, Mart. 9, 50, 1: cantatus Achilles, Ov. Am. 2, 1, 29: laudes tuas, id. F. 2, 658. —Esp.,
2 Of an actor, to represent a part , to act (cf. supra, I. A.): cantavit (Nero) Orestem matricidam, Oedipodem excaecatum, etc., Suet. Ner. 21: Nioben, id. ib. 21: tragoedias, id. ib. 21: fabulam, id. ib. 46 fin. : epinicia, id. ib. 43 fin. —
C Hence, because the oracles were of old uttered in verse, of any mysterious, prophetic, or warning utterance, to predict , warn , point out , indicate , make known , say : vera cantas? vana vellem, Plaut. Most. 4, 2, 64. —Of inanimate things: urna haec litterata est: ab se cantat cuja sit, Plaut. Rud. 2, 5, 21: civi inmoeni scin quid cantari solet? id. Trin. 2, 2, 69; id. Bacch. 4, 9, 61.—
2 To bring something repeatedly to recollection , to reiterate , harp upon , forewarn of or against : haec dies noctes canto, ut caveas, Plaut. Trin. 2, 2, 12: harum mores, Ter. Heaut. 260: nam, ut scis, jam pridem istum canto Caesarem, Cic. Q. Fr. 2, 11 (13), 1: quid fati provida cantet avis, Tib. 2, 5, 12: quae me juvene utique cantare solebant, Quint. 8, 3, 76.—
III In the lang. of religion, as v. n. or a. , to use enchantments , charms , incantations , to enchant , to charm , Cato R. R. 160, 1; Varr. R. R. 1, 2, 27: frigidus in pratis cantando rumpitur anguis, Verg. E. 8, 71: cantata Luna, exorcised by magic , Prop. 4 (5), 5, 13: falx, Ov. H. 6, 84: herbae, id. M. 7, 98: ignis, Sil. 1, 430: tum quoque cantato densetur carmine caelum, an incantation , Ov. M. 14, 369.—
B To call forth , produce by charms : et chelydris cantare soporem, Sil. 8, 498: cantata umbra, Luc. 6, 767.