troubadour

noun

trou·​ba·​dour ˈtrü-bə-ˌdȯr 

-ˌdu̇r

1

: one of a class of lyric poets and poet-musicians often of knightly rank who flourished from the 11th to the end of the 13th century chiefly in the south of France and the north of Italy and whose major theme was courtly love compare trouvère

2

: a singer especially of folk songs

Did you know?

In the Middle Ages, troubadours were the shining knights of poetry (in fact, some were ranked as high as knights in the feudal class structure). Troubadours made chivalry a high art, writing poems and singing about chivalrous love, creating the mystique of refined damsels, and glorifying the gallant knight on his charger. Troubadour was a fitting name for such creative artists: it derives from an Old Occitan word meaning "to compose." In modern contexts, troubadour still refers to the song-meisters of the Middle Ages, but it has been extended to cover contemporary poet-musicians as well.

Examples of troubadour in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

About Hayes Carll Texas troubadour Hayes Carll was born in Houston and raised in the Woodlands, a famous planned community that was much smaller back then, surrounded by thousands of acres of pine trees. —Sid Evans, Southern Living, 13 Aug. 2024

Traveling troubadours used vallenatos to bring news to isolated towns, immortalizing not only the events of the time but also important Caribbean folklore through its music. —Daniella Tello-Garzon, refinery29.com, 6 Aug. 2024

Over the last three decades, Beck has been an acoustic troubadour, an absurdist rapper and a journeyman rock star, truly occupying a category of his own in the music industry. —Al Shipley, SPIN, 29 June 2024

May 15, 2024 The pub, long known as a hangout for musicians, initially featured Irish troubadours performing drinking songs and traditional Irish ditties. —Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

French, from Old Occitan trobador, from trobar to compose, from Vulgar Latin *tropare, from Latin tropus trope

First Known Use

circa 1741, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

troubadour

noun

trou·​ba·​dour ˈtrü-bə-ˌdō(ə)r 

-ˌdȯ(ə)r,

-ˌdu̇(ə)r

: a poet-musician of the Middle Ages in France and Italy