1. The Jewish religious official who leads the musical part of a service.
2. The person who leads a church choir or congregation in singing; a precentor.

[Latin, singer, from canere, to sing.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.