Where does “minstrelsy” come from?
Minstrelsy comes from Middle English minstralcie, from Old French menestralcie, originally denoting the collective activities and art of minstrels.
minstrelsy (English): The musical and other art and craft of a...
Definitions
- The musical and other art and craft of a...
Ancestry of “minstrelsy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | minstralcie | — |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | menestralsie | — |
| 3 | Old French | menestrel | servant; minister of justice; one who enforces... |
| 4 | Medieval Latin | ministralis | servant, jester, singer |
| 5 | Late Latin | ministerialis | imperial household officer, one having an... |
| 6 | Latin | ministerium | ministry; employment, ministration; service |
| 7 | Latin | -ium | Suffix used to form abstract nouns, sometimes... |
| 8 | Latin | -ius | forming adjectives from nouns; nominative neuter... |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | -jōs | Forms comparative adjectives |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -yós | Creates adjectives from noun or verb stems |