troubadour
Americannoun
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one of a class of medieval lyric poets who flourished principally in southern France from the 11th to 13th centuries, and wrote songs and poems of a complex metrical form in langue d'oc, chiefly on themes of courtly love.
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any wandering singer or minstrel.
noun
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any of a class of lyric poets who flourished principally in Provence and N Italy from the 11th to the 13th centuries, writing chiefly on courtly love in complex metric form
-
a singer
Etymology
Origin of troubadour
First recorded in 1720–30; from French, from Provençal trobador, equivalent to trob(ar) “to find, compose” ( cf. trover) + -ador (from Latin -ātor -ator
Explanation
When we think of a troubadour what usually comes to mind is a lovestruck fellow serenading his sweetheart and hoping she'll appear on her balcony. The word troubadour comes from Provence in southern France, where trobar (related to modern French trouver) means "find, invent, compose in verse." The art of serenading one's love comes from the French tradition of courtly love that began in the Middle Ages. Things have changed, though, since the days of the wandering minstrel or jongleur. Our wooing is more private, our entertainment more public, and our terminology has become more practical: We now call our troubadours "singer-songwriters" or "recording artists."
Vocabulary lists containing troubadour
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
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Medieval Europe - Introductory
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The Boys in the Boat
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
More affecting is Malta's elegant and sentimental ballad Bella, sung by moustachioed troubadour Aidan.
From BBC • May 8, 2026
Over the past year, the shaggy-haired guitarist and singer has emerged as a modern-day protest troubadour, collaborating with Baez, selling out concert halls, and soaring to rarified fame on social media.
From Barron's • Jan. 29, 2026
In October, Texas troubadour Charley Crockett, who has derided the trap-inflected “bro country” coming out of Nashville, played a solo set at Lucinda’s before moving uptown for a three-night residency at Café Carlyle.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 23, 2025
Then again, the only artist of color nominated for either prize is Charley Crockett, the Texas-born troubadour whose “Dollar a Day” is up for traditional country album.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 2, 2025
The troubadour, Chrétien, plays a few more notes, and then lowers himself onto a stool.
From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
