canō cecinī, -, ere (P. perf. supplied by canto) 1 CAN-. I. Intrans, to utter melodious notes, make music, sing, sound, play.

—Of men: celebrare dapes canendo, O.: tibicen sine tibiis canere non possit: harundine, O.: imitari Pana canendo, V.: Movit Amphion lapides canendo, H.: ad tibicinem de virtutibus, etc.: ululanti voce more Asiatic{*} canere, to chant, use sing-song.

—Prov.: non canimus surdis, preach to the deaf, V.

—Of birds, etc.: galli victi silere solent, canere victores, to crow: gallina cecinit, interdixit hariolus (a bad omen), T.

—Of the owl, to hoot, V.

—Meton., of instruments or a piece of music, to sound, resound, be played: canentes tibiae: cum in conviviis symphonia caneret: maestae tubae, Pr.

—Of signals, to sound, be sounded, resound: semel bisne signum canat in castris, L.: repente a tergo signa canere, S.: Signa canunt, V.: classicum apud eos cecinit, L.: receptui canere, to sound a retreat, Cs.: Hasdrubal receptui propere cecinit, L.: nisi receptui cecinisset, sounded a counter-march, L.

—Fig.: revocante et receptui canente senatu.

—II. Trans. with cognate acc., to sing, play, rehearse, recite, compose: id carmen: in eum carmina incondita, L.: versūs: verba ad certos modos, O.: praecepta, H.: indoctum, H.: Haec super arvorum cultu, V.

— Of frogs: veterem querellam, croaked, V.

— Prov.: Cantilenam eandem canis, ever the old tune, T.

—With definite obj, to sing, celebrate in song, sing of, praise: virorum laudes: suas laudes, L.: reges et proelia, V.: Quas strages Turnus Ediderit, V.: Herculem, Ta.: Liberum et Musas, H.: plectro graviore Gigantas, O.: arma virumque, V.: (fama) facta atque infecta canit, trumpets, V.

—Prov.: vana surdis auribus, L.

—Of oracles or diviners, to give response (in verse), prophesy, foretell, predict, utter: horrendas ambages, V.: fera fata, H.: Artificis scelus, V.: haec quae nunc fiunt: Sibylla quae senis fata canit pedibus, Tb.: te mater aucturum caelestium numerum cecinit, L.: quae nunc usu veniunt, N.: Hoc signum cecinit missuram creatrix (sc. se), V.: quaeque diu latuere, O.: cecinere vates, idque carmen pervenerat, etc., L.

— Of signals, to blow, sound, give: tubicines signa canere, give the signal for battle, S.: classicum apud eum cani iubet, Cs.: bellicum, call to arms: Gallos adesse, signalled, V.

—Poet.: (bucina) cecinit iussos receptūs, O.