What does "minnesinger" mean?

A peripatetic musician in Germany in the 12th to the 14th centuries, often performing songs of courtly love.

What is a synonym for "minnesinger"?

Common synonyms include: balladeer, balladmonger, bard, elegist, folk singer, jongleur.

noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Noun

1
A peripatetic musician in Germany in the 12th to the 14th centuries, often performing songs of courtly love. historical

Borrowed from German Minnesinger, from Minne (“courtly love”) + Singer (“singer”).

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.