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

The Eagles, who sold more than a hundred and fifty million albums, rode a tide of surly melancholy and bell-bottom jeans much further than anyone expected, and Henley viewed himself not merely as a celebrity with lawyers on call but as a troubadour in the heroic tradition. —Tad Friend, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024

At the very least, it can be traced back to the late troubadour Melanie, a.k.a. Melanie Safka. —David Browne, Rolling Stone, 24 Sep. 2024

Part Romantic poet, part folk troubadour, part country-music storyteller, Kristofferson died Saturday at the age of 88. —Stephen L. Betts, Rolling Stone, 29 Sep. 2024

Explore Jerry Douglas Molly Tuttle See latest videos, charts and news But Tuttle and her band Golden Highway have also leaned closer to musical troubadours rather than devout traditionalists, melding bluegrass with a range of styles. —Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 19 Sep. 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

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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