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

As the behind-the-scenes curator of the cruise, Tepper put together wildly eclectic lineups: The Mavericks, Emmylou Harris, Nikki Lane, Georgia Satellites’ Dan Baird, Cajun fiddler Doug Kershaw, and New York punk troubadour Jesse Malin have all sailed since the inaugural OCC in 2016. —Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 15 June 2024

Beyoncé fashions herself as the weary troubadour, reminding fans that her glamorous life didn’t come without sacrifice. —Alex Suskind, Vulture, 6 June 2024

Kala Farnham, the current Connecticut state troubadour, 2:30 p.m., Food Tent Stage. —Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 29 Apr. 2024

But this time, the candidate wasn’t praising the Garden State troubadour. —Diane Winston, The Conversation, 31 May 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