troubadour

[ troo-buh-dawr, -dohr, -door ]

noun

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. Compare trouvère.
2. any wandering singer or minstrel.

troubadour

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of troubadour¹

First recorded in 1720–30; from French, from Provençal trobador, equivalent to trob(ar) “to find, compose” ( trover ) + -ador (from Latin -ātor -ator

Word History and Origins

Origin of troubadour¹

C18: from French, from Old Provençal trobador , from trobar to write verses, perhaps ultimately from Latin tropus trope

Example Sentences

In an intimate concert at the Troubadour, Hootie & the Blowfish marked the 25th anniversary of its debut, “Cracked Rear View,” and the release of its first album since 2005.

From Los Angeles Times

"The first time I saw Kris performing at the Troubadour club in L.A. I knew he was something special," she wrote in a Sunday post.

From Salon

On Saturday night, the second of 20 Eagles gigs scheduled through January, folks were ooh-ing and aah-ing before the music even started as they were met upon entering by an enormous photorealistic mural jamming together dozens of landmarks from the band’s Los Angeles hometown, including the Chateau Marmont, Griffith Observatory, the Paramount Pictures gate and, of course, the Troubadour, where Henley and Eagles co-founder Glenn Frey famously met in the early 1970s as members of Linda Ronstadt’s road band.

From Los Angeles Times

Fortunately, one of the bar’s signature drinks, the American Troubadour, does contain cold brew, just in case an Espresso Martini lover should ever darken Stephens’s door and summon the courage to order just what they like.

From Salon

He moved to Los Angeles in the late ’60s and met Frey, with whom he formed the short-lived duo Longbranch Pennywhistle; the group built a following at West Hollywood’s Troubadour and released a debut album in 1969 before breaking up the following year.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• crooner
• minstrel
• songwriter