sirvente

or sir·ventes

[ ser-vent; French seer-vahnt ]

noun,plural sir·ventes

[ser-vents; French seer-vahnt]. /sərˈvɛnts; French sirˈvɑ̃t/.

a medieval poem or song of heroic or satirical character, as composed by a troubadour.

Origin of sirvente

1810–20; back formation from Provençal sirventes literally, pertaining to a servant, i.e., lover (the -s being taken as plural sign). See servant, -ese

Words Nearby sirvente

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sirvente in a sentence

If he had a turn for dramatics he had certainly indulged it now, and given himself strong meat for a new sirvente of Kings.
The Life and Death of Richard Yea-and-Nay | Maurice Hewlett
The sirvente was a song of war or politics, sometimes satirical, sometimes in praise of the exploits of a generous patron.
Woman's Work in Music | Arthur Elson
The rhymes in the sirvente differed from what we consider correct by consisting always of a repetition of the same word.
Woman's Work in Music | Arthur Elson
sirvente, sir-vont′, n. a satirical song of the 12th-13th century trouvres and troubadours.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) | Various
A sirvente by an anonymous troubadour shows how anxiously he was expected in Languedoc.
A History of The Inquisition of The Middle Ages; volume I | Henry Charles Lea

British Dictionary definitions for sirvente

sirvente

/ (səˈvɛnt) /

noun

a verse form employed by the troubadours of Provence to satirize moral or political themes

Origin of sirvente

C19: via French from Provençal sirventes song of a servant (that is, of a lover serving his mistress), from sirvent a servant, from Latin servīre to serve

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

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