Minstrelsy
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 The musical and other art and craft of a minstrel. countable, uncountable
"Orfeo makes his way into this palace, and so charms the king with his minstrelsy, that he gives him back his wife."
- 2 the art of a minstrel wordnet
- 3 A group of minstrels. countable, uncountable
- 4 ballads sung by minstrels wordnet
- 5 Any similar modern group performing song and verse. countable, uncountable
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 a troupe of minstrels wordnet
- 7 A collection of minstrel ballads. countable, uncountable
Example
More examples"Orfeo makes his way into this palace, and so charms the king with his minstrelsy, that he gives him back his wife."
Etymology
From Middle English minstralcie, from 13th century Anglo-Norman menestralsie, menestralcie, from Old French menestrel (“minstrel”), itself from Medieval Latin ministralis (“servant, jester, singer”), from Late Latin ministerialis (“imperial household officer, one having an official duty”), from the adjective ministerialis (“ministerial, servants”), from Latin ministerium (“service”).
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.