1. a traveling musician or singer in medieval times who performed songs and stories
Usage: historical
2. a performer in blackface entertainment shows popular in 19th-century America
Usage: historical; offensive

Examples

• Medieval minstrels traveled from castle to castle entertaining nobles with songs.
• The minstrel played his lute and sang tales of brave knights.
• Court minstrels were valued for their musical talents and storytelling abilities.
• Wandering minstrels brought news and entertainment to remote villages.
• The king’s favorite minstrel composed ballads about royal victories.
• Minstrel shows were a popular but problematic form of entertainment in the 1800s.