minstrelsy

noun

min·​strel·​sy ˈmin(t)-strəl-sē 

1

: the singing and playing of a minstrel

2

: a body of minstrels

3

: a group of songs or verse

Synonyms

• poesy
• poetry
• song
• verse

Examples of minstrelsy in a Sentence

the traditional forms of German minstrelsy

Recent Examples on the Web

Characters like Felix and Oswald have kind of an unfortunate connection to theater insofar as they’re associated with blackface minstrelsy—the notoriously racist form of stage performance where actors would blacken their faces, wear white gloves, and perform clownish antics. —Tim Brinkhof, JSTOR Daily, 9 Oct. 2024

Henry counted among her influences American minstrelsy, European clowning traditions, and her own collection of African masks. —News Desk, Artforum, 22 Oct. 2024

Advertisement Blackface minstrelsy took hold in New York City in the 1830s and became popular among post-Civil War whites, though it was regarded as offensive to Black people from the beginning of its use. —Anthony Izaguirre, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2024

How does the satirist work around the imposition, constructing her nasty, sarcastic world of minstrelsy and sharp tongues? —Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English mynstralcye, borrowed from Anglo-French menestralsie, menstralcie, from menestral, menstral minstrel + -sie, -cie -cy

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

minstrelsy

noun

min·​strel·​sy ˈmin(t)-strəl-sē 

plural minstrelsies

1

: the singing and playing of a minstrel

2

: a body of minstrels

3

: a collection of songs or verse