troubadour

American  

[troo-buh-dawr, -dohr, -door] / ˈtru bəˌdɔr, -ˌdoʊr, -ˌdʊər /

noun

troubadours plural

1. 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.

2. any wandering singer or minstrel.

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troubadour British  

/ ˈtruːbəˌdʊə /

noun

1. 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

2. a singer

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• troubadours
  plural

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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

troubadour troubadours

“Right now I’m a solo artist, which is kind of fun. I’m up there like a folk troubadour, singing the songs, reading from the book, and making some well-timed joke,” he told Salon.

From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2026

The Texas troubadour is celebrating not what’s withered and worn but authentic and real.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 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

Hanna is a troubadour unafraid to speak out.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 2, 2024

The troubadour phenomenon had been inspired by the example of professional singers in the courts of al-Andalus, Muslim Spain, which had its resplendent capital at Cordoba.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

Taylor says he is among the last of a generation of troubadours who experienced and wrote about the "romance of the road" from the 1960s, 70s and 80s.

From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026

It helped establish a popular theme among modern-day troubadours with its tale of a lonely and destitute wanderer far from home “with a dollar in my hand, and an aching in my heart.”

From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2023

“Here’s the thing — we’re descended, singer-songwriters, from troubadours in the Middle Ages,” Mr. Crosby told the San Luis Obispo Tribune in 2017.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 19, 2023

How many times did "Gilmore Girls" have a show, a tiny village with not one but multiple troubadours and Miss Patty's prolific dance studio?

From Salon ● Dec. 18, 2022

This was the era of the troubadours and trouveres: skilled, far-travelled poet-singer-songwriters whose fame was built on songs of ‘refined’ love.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

Related Words

• crooner
• minstrel
• songwriter