1. an ornamental melody sung or played above a basic tune
Usage: music
2. a lengthy discourse or commentary on a topic
Usage: formal

1. to sing or play a descant
Usage: music
2. to comment at length; to discourse
Usage: formal

Examples

• The soprano sang a beautiful descant above the choir’s melody.
• She added an improvised descant to the hymn during the service.
• The professor’s descant on medieval literature lasted two hours.
• He began to descant on the virtues of classical education.
• The flutist will descant while the orchestra plays the main theme.
• Rather than answer directly, she chose to descant on related philosophical issues.