chant

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
chant/tʃɑːnt/

▶noun

• 1 a repeated rhythmic phrase, typically one shouted or sung in unison by a crowd.

• 2 a monotonous or repetitive song, typically an incantation or part of a ritual.

• 3 Music a short musical passage in two or more phrases used for singing unmetrical words; a psalm or canticle sung to such music.

▶verb say or shout repeatedly in a sing-song tone.

■ sing or intone (a psalm, canticle, or sacred text).

– origin ME: from OFr. chanter ‘sing’, from L. cantare, frequentative of canere ‘sing’.