1. A melody or tune, especially one sung or played above a basic melody or bass line in music.
Usage: music; often used in medieval and Renaissance music contexts
2. A discussion or discourse on a topic; a commentary or treatise.
Usage: archaic; literary

1. To sing or play a discant; to perform a melody above a bass line.
Usage: music; archaic
2. To discuss or discourse upon a subject; to comment or expound.
Usage: archaic; literary

Examples

• The soprano sang a beautiful discant above the choir's main melody.
• In medieval music, the discant was an important compositional technique.
• The musician discants over the bass line with skillful improvisation.
• The scholar discants at length on the philosophical implications of the text.
• The discant part requires a high, clear voice to be heard properly.
• He discants on various topics in his lengthy treatise.