n. [ L. praecentor, fr. praecinere to sing before; prae before + canere to sing. See Chant. ] A leader of a choir; a directing singer. Specifically:
n. The office of a precentor. [ 1913 Webster ]
a. [ L. recens, -entis: cf. F. récent. ]
The ancients were of opinion, that a considerable portion of that country [ Egypt ] was recent, and formed out of the mud discharged into the neighboring sea by the Nile. Woodward. [ 1913 Webster ]
v. t. [ Pref. re- + center. ] To center again; to restore to the center. Coleridge. [ 1913 Webster ]
adv. Newly; lately; freshly; not long since;
n. Quality or state of being recent. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. A member of the trecento, or an imitator of its characteristics. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]
‖n. & a. [ It., three hundred, abbr. for thirteen hundred. ] The fourteenth century, when applied to Italian art, literature, etc. It marks the period of Dante, Petrarch, and boccaccio in literature, and of Giotto in painting. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]