1. plural of cantillation; the rhythmic or melodic chanting of words, especially in religious or liturgical contexts
Usage: often used in Jewish and Christian religious traditions; refers to the musical recitation of sacred texts
2. the system of musical notation or marks (such as Hebrew diacritical marks) used to indicate how text should be chanted
Usage: technical term used in biblical and liturgical studies

Examples

• The cantor's cantillations of the Torah filled the synagogue with reverent melody.
• Students learned the cantillations used in Gregorian chant during their music history course.
• The ancient cantillations preserved the proper pronunciation and rhythm of sacred Hebrew texts.
• Different Jewish communities developed their own regional cantillations for the liturgy.
• The cantillations marked in the biblical manuscript guided readers in the correct intonation.
• Medieval monks practiced cantillations as part of their daily monastic routine.