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menestrello

minstrel

noun meh-neh-STREL-loh Rare
Arts & Culture Music

Origin: Old French ménestrel, from Late Latin ministerialis (servant)

Also means

troubadour

Usage Note

Menestrello refers to a medieval itinerant singer-poet who performed at courts; unlike cantastorie (a storytelling singer), menestrello carries a specifically medieval or fantasy connotation. The plural is menestrelli.

Examples

"Il menestrello cantava ballate alla corte."

Natural Translation

The minstrel sang ballads at the court.

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