sirvente

American  

[ser-vent, seer-vahnt] / sərˈvɛnt, sirˈvɑ̃t /

Or sirventes

noun

sirventes plural

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

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sirvente British  

/ səˈvɛnt /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• sirventes
  plural

Etymology

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

Example Sentences

A sirvente by an anonymous troubadour shows how anxiously he was expected in Languedoc.

From A History of The Inquisition of The Middle Ages; volume I by Lea, Henry Charles

It has even been doubted whether the serventois is not the forerunner of the sirvente instead of the reverse being the case.

From A Short History of French Literature by Saintsbury, George

The sirvente was a song of war or politics, sometimes satirical, sometimes in praise of the exploits of a generous patron.

From Woman's Work in Music by Elson, Arthur

Again, the Provençal sirvente is represented by the northern serventois, a poem in Chanson form, but occupied instead of love with war, satire, religion, and miscellaneous matters.

From A Short History of French Literature by Saintsbury, George

Barral had composed and committed to memory a sirvente or song of battle which he proposed to write out, paper and quill being permitted him in deference to his broken jaw.

From Romance of Roman Villas (The Renaissance) by Champney, Elizabeth W. (Elizabeth Williams)