chantey

noun

chan·​tey ˈshan-tē How to pronounce chantey (audio) ˈchan- How to pronounce chantey (audio)
variants or chanty or shanty
plural chanteys or chanties or shanties
: a song sung by sailors in rhythm with their work

Examples of chantey in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The United States Navy Band Sea Chanters chorus is an outreach programs of the U.S. Navy and performs a variety of music ranging from traditional choral works to sea chanteys, patriotic fare, and even opera. oregonlive, 8 Mar. 2023 Ralph Tufo plays a sea chantey on his concertina. Cindy Cantrell, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Nov. 2021 Sea chantey TikToks are choral performances that will never see the inside of a concert hall, even if the folks behind them get record deals. Angela Watercutter, Wired, 12 Apr. 2021 Sea Music Festival The 39th annual Sea Music Festival at Mystic Seaport features four days of workshops, concerts, a children’s stage with special performances and demonstrations of maritime work songs – or chanteys – aboard historic vessels. Hartford Courant, courant.com, 4 June 2018 Since 1871, the group has serenaded audiences with folk songs, love songs, show tunes, sea chanteys, and semi-classical music. Kathy Shiels Tully, BostonGlobe.com, 25 May 2018 Join a sea chantey sing along at 11:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. In honor of Earth Day, the Aquarium of the Bay is organizing volunteers to clean the Park’s Aquatic Park beach from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. https://AquaticPark EarthDay2018.eventbrite.com. Chronicle Staff Report, San Francisco Chronicle, 12 Apr. 2018 Primarily abandoning the ’80s-style synthesizers that coat much of their new studio material, the Decemberists relied on folk-rock and sea-chantey standbys — as well as the golden throats of prior collaborators Kelly Hogan and Nora O’Connor. Bob Gendron, chicagotribune.com, 11 Apr. 2018 The Sea Chanters, the U.S. Navy’s official chorus, is set to perform a variety of music ranging from traditional choral music, sea chanteys and patriotic fare to opera, Broadway and contemporary music. Linda McIntosh, sandiegouniontribune.com, 1 Mar. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chantey.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

modification of French chanter

First Known Use

1856, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of chantey was in 1856

Dictionary Entries Near chantey

Cite this Entry

“Chantey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chantey. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

chantey

noun
chan·​tey
variants or chanty
ˈshant-ē,
ˈchant-
or shanty
ˈshant-
plural chanteys or chanties or shanties
: a song sung by sailors in rhythm with their work
Etymology

from French chanter "to sing," derived from Latin canere "to sing" — related to cantata, chant, charm

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