Plural of canto; main divisions of long poems similar to chapters in a book.
From Italian 'canto,' which comes from Latin 'cantus' meaning 'song.' In medieval Italian poetry, epic poems were divided into sections like 'cantos,' each one substantial enough to be a 'singing' or performance piece on its own.
Dante's 'Divine Comedy' is divided into 100 cantos, and this division perfectly matches how medieval poets thought of their work—not as prose to read silently, but as songs to perform aloud!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.