chantress: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Rare/ArchaicLiterary, Poetic, Archaic
Quick answer
What does “chantress” mean?
A female singer, especially one who sings chants or enchanting songs.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A female singer, especially one who sings chants or enchanting songs; a sorceress or enchantress who uses song or chant in her magic.
A woman who leads singing or chanting, particularly in a ritual or mystical context. In poetic/literary usage, a woman whose voice or song is captivating or magical.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant regional difference in meaning or usage. The word is equally rare in both varieties.
Connotations
In both, the word evokes a archaic, poetic, or fantasy tone.
Frequency
Extremely low frequency in both corpora. Slightly more likely to be encountered in British texts due to older literary and poetic traditions, but the difference is negligible.
Grammar
How to Use “chantress” in a Sentence
chantress of [place/group]chantress who [verbs]the chantress sangVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “chantress” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- N/A - 'chantress' is not a verb.
American English
- N/A - 'chantress' is not a verb.
adverb
British English
- N/A - 'chantress' is not an adverb.
American English
- N/A - 'chantress' is not an adverb.
adjective
British English
- N/A - 'chantress' is not an adjective. The related adjective is 'chanting'.
American English
- N/A - 'chantress' is not an adjective. The related adjective is 'chanting'.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Virtually never used.
Academic
Rare, only in historical, literary, or musicological texts discussing archaic terms or feminine forms.
Everyday
Not used in modern everyday conversation.
Technical
Not used in modern technical contexts. May appear in fantasy genre terminology (e.g., RPG character classes).
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “chantress”
Strong
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “chantress”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “chantress”
- Misspelling as 'chantress' (double t).
- Using in modern, non-literary contexts where 'singer' is appropriate.
- Pronouncing the 't' in 'chant' as a hard /t/ rather than a soft /ʧ/ (ch sound).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is considered archaic and literary. You will almost never hear it in everyday conversation.
An 'enchantress' uses general magic or allure. A 'chantress' specifically implies her power or role is tied to singing or chanting, though the terms can overlap.
No, the '-ess' suffix explicitly denotes a female. The masculine equivalent is 'chanter'.
In modern, non-literary contexts, using gender-neutral terms like 'singer' or 'chanter' is standard. 'Chantress' is typically only used deliberately for its archaic, poetic, or genre-specific (e.g., fantasy) flavour.
A female singer, especially one who sings chants or enchanting songs.
Chantress is usually literary, poetic, archaic in register.
Chantress: in British English it is pronounced /ˈtʃɑːntrəs/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈtʃæntrəs/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “None specific to this rare word.”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a 'CHANT'ing 'priestESS' who leads songs in a temple.
Conceptual Metaphor
VOICE IS MAGIC; A WOMAN IS A SOURCE OF ENCHANTMENT.
Practice
Quiz
In which context would the word 'chantress' be LEAST appropriate?