minnesinger

[min-uh-sing-er]

See more synonyms for minnesinger on Thesaurus.com

noun

one of a class of German lyric poets and singers of the 12th, 13th, and 14th centuries.

Origin of minnesinger

1815–25; < German, equivalent to Minne love + Singer singer

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for minnesinger

minstrel, songwriter, crooner, troubadour, artist, musician, bard, poet, songster, jongleur, balladeer, accompanist, vocalist, minnesinger, serenader, trouveur

Examples from the Web for minnesinger

Historical Examples of minnesinger

Of Vogelwied, the Minnesinger, and his bequest to the birds.
The Works of Whittier, Volume VII (of VII)
John Greenleaf Whittier
Yet, Ssskind von Trimberg was at once a Jew and a minnesinger.
Jewish Literature and Other Essays
Gustav Karpeles
His last production as a minnesinger was a prescription for a "virtue-electuary."
Jewish Literature and Other Essays
Gustav Karpeles
The era of the minnesinger has been divided into three periods.
How Music Developed
W. J. Henderson
He began his career as a minnesinger, but later on entered a monastery.
The Evolution of Love
Emil Lucka

British Dictionary definitions for minnesinger

minnesinger

noun

one of the German lyric poets and musicians of the 12th to 14th centuries

Word Origin for minnesinger

C19: from German: love-singer

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for minnesinger

one of a class of medieval German poets who imitated the troubadours, 1825, from German minnesinger, from minne "love," especially "sexual love" (from Old High German minna "loving memory," originally "memory;" see mind (n.)) + singer (see singer). German minne by c.1500 no longer was considered decent, and it became a taboo word until revived 18c. in poetic language.