Etymology · Old French
menestrel
2 English words descend from Old French menestrel, most common first.
- minstrelOriginally, an entertainer employed to juggle, play music, sing, tell stories, etc.; a buffoon, a fool, a jester; later, a medieval (especially travelling) entertainer who would recite and sing poetry, often to their own musical accompaniment.
- minstrelsyThe musical and other art and craft of a minstrel.