minstrel
Originally, an entertainer employed to juggle, play music, sing, tell stories, etcOriginally, an entertainer employed to juggle, play music, sing, tell stories, etc.; a buffoon, a fool, a jester; later, a medieval (especially travelling) entertainer who would recite and sing poetry, often to their own musical accompaniment.
» The minstrels dress up in face paint and colorful satin costumes with fancy hats and parasols.
Meaning
4 senses(also, attributive, historical)Originally, an entertainer employed to juggle, play music, sing, tell stories, etc.; a buffoon, a fool, a jester; later, a medieval (especially travelling) entertainer who would recite and sing poetry, often to their own musical accompaniment.
Minnesänger, Spielmann, Troubadour
менестре́льmenestrélʹ
менестре́льmenestrélʹ
(also, attributive, broadly, poetic)Any lyric poet, musician, or singer.
a singer of folk songs
(US, also, attributive, broadly, historical)One of a troupe of entertainers, often a white person who wore black makeup (blackface), to present a so-called minstrel show, being a variety show of banjo music, dance, and song (now regarded as racist).
(also, attributive, broadly, slang)An amphetamine tablet, typically black, or black and white, in colour.
Examples
1 sentencesThe minstrels dress up in face paint and colorful satin costumes with fancy hats and parasols.
Translations
8 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 1
By meaning 1
Origin
The noun is derived from Middle English minstral, menestrel (“actor; juggler; mime; musiciThe noun is derived from Middle English minstral, menestrel (“actor; juggler; mime; musician; singer; storyteller; (military) soldier playing a horn or trumpet as a signal”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman menestrel [and other forms] and Old French menestrel (“artisan; servant; itinerant musician or poet; worker”) [and other forms] (modern French ménestrel (“minstrel”)), from Late Latin ministerialis (“official or retainer owing household and military service to a feudal lord, a ministerial or ministerialis”), from Latin ministerium (“employment, ministration; office of a minister, ministry; action or attendance by an inferior person such as a slave, service”) + -ālis (suffix forming adjectives). Ministerium is derived from minister (“accomplice; agent; aide; attendant; servant; waiter”) (probably ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *mey-n- (“little, small”) + *-yōs (“-er”, comparative suffix) + *-teros (contrastive or oppositional suffix forming adjectives)) + -ium (suffix forming abstract nouns). Doublet of ministerial and ministerialis.
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Forms
plural: minstrelsSynonyms
5 synonyms- a singer of folk songs:folk singerjongleurpoet-singertroubadour