troubadour
troubadour
UK[ˈtruːbədɔː]US[ˈtruːbədʊr]
n
a poet and singer who wrote and performed songs about courtly love, chivalry, and adventure, especially in southern france and italy in the 11th to 13th centuries.
n
a singer or poet, especially one who writes or performs in a romantic or lyrical style.
Etymology
the word 'troubadour' entered english in the 18th century from french, which borrowed it from the occitan 'trobador'. in occitan, a romance language of southern france, 'trobador' is the agent noun derived from the verb 'trobar', meaning 'to find, to invent, to compose'. this verb is believed to originate from the hypothetical vulgar latin 'tropare', meaning 'to compose or invent a song', which itself derives from the latin 'tropus', meaning 'a song, a musical mode', and ultimately from the greek 'tropos', meaning 'a turn, a figure of speech'. thus, the core logic of the word moves from the greek concept of a 'turn' or 'figure' to the latin idea of a 'musical figure', to the occitan act of 'inventing verse', finally arriving at the modern english meaning for the historical composer-performer of lyric poetry.
Analysis
the word is a loanword from occitan, adopted as a whole into english. it is not productively segmented using english morphemes.
Examples
the medieval troubadour traveled from castle to castle, performing songs of love and valor for noble audiences.
she is considered a modern troubadour, writing and singing poignant folk ballads about contemporary life.
his lyrical style earned him a reputation as the troubadour of the jazz world.