sirvente

or sir·ventes

[ ser-vent; French seer-vahnt ]

noun

, plural sir·ventes [ser-, vents, see, r, -, vahnt].

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

sirvente

/ səˈvɛnt /

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of sirvente¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of sirvente¹

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

Example Sentences

Palacio Sirvente de Mieres An elegant and well-equipped former palace in the old center of Andújar.

From New York Times

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

From Project Gutenberg

Sirvente, sir-vont′, n. a satirical song of the 12th-13th century trouv�res and troubadours.

From Project Gutenberg

The Sermintese or Serventese, it may be parenthetically said, was a form of satirical and occasional lyric adapted from the Provençal Sirvente.

From Project Gutenberg

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 Project Gutenberg