troubadour

noun

trou·​ba·​dour ˈtrü-bə-ˌdȯr 

-ˌdu̇r

1

: one of a class of lyric poets often of knightly rank who flourished from the 11th to the 13th century in France and Italy and whose major theme was courtly love compare trouvère

2

: a singer especially of folk songs

Did you know?

In the Middle Ages, troubadours were the shining knights of poetry (in fact, some were ranked as high as knights in the feudal class structure). Troubadours made chivalry a high art, writing poems and singing about chivalrous love, creating the mystique of refined damsels, and glorifying the gallant knight on his charger. Troubadour was a fitting name for such creative artists: it derives from an Old Occitan word meaning "to compose." In modern contexts, troubadour still refers to the song-meisters of the Middle Ages, but it has been extended to cover contemporary poet-musicians as well.

Examples of troubadour in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Leading a group of seasoned musicians that includes guitarist Adam Brisbin and harp player Mary Lattimore, and working once again with Krivchenia as his producer, Meek continues to revel in the role of traditional troubadour of mid-tempo laments with heavy gestures to Buffalo Springfield. —Dean Van Nguyen, Pitchfork, 27 Feb. 2026

On Saturday and Sunday, AWO will perform as part of Grammy Award-winning troubadour Jason Mraz’s DREAM fundraising concerts featuring — and benefiting — AWO and four other San Diego nonprofit arts organizations. —David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026

Justin Townes Earle may have traveled the world as an Americana troubadour, but the story of the singer-songwriter’s life can be told in just a few square miles in his native Nashville. —Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 4 Feb. 2026

Texas native Charley Crockett is a modern-day troubadour cut from the same cloth as Outlaw Country greats but also the poignant folk-rock of Bob Dylan and the raw Americana of Lucinda Williams. —John Wenzel, Denver Post, 8 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French, from Old Occitan trobador, from trobar to compose, from Vulgar Latin *tropare, from Latin tropus trope

First Known Use

1728, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for troubadour

• albacore
• alongshore
• antiwar
• anymore
• blastopore
• carnivore
• commodore
• dinosaur
• evermore
• furthermore
• guarantor
• herbivore

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Kids Definition

troubadour

noun

trou·​ba·​dour ˈtrü-bə-ˌdō(ə)r 

-ˌdȯ(ə)r, 

-ˌdu̇(ə)r

: a poet-musician of the Middle Ages in France and Italy