minnesinger
Definitions
from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- noun One of a class of German lyric poets and singers of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, so called because love was the chief theme of their poems.
Examples
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He played upon the harp with more than common skill, and could personate the regular minnesinger to perfection.
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'He's the modern substitute for the mediaeval minnesinger,' he added, 'a sort of father confessor -- and the women like to talk to him!'
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In Northern France the poet was called a trouvere, in Provence a troubadour, in Germany a minnesinger.
Note
‘Minnesinger’ comes from the Middle High German, ‘minne,’ love, plus ‘singer,’ singer.
