min ‧ strel /ˈmɪnstrəl/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: menestrel 'servant, minstrel' , from Latin minister ; ⇨ ↑ minister 1 ]
1 . a singer or musician in the Middle Ages
2 . one of a group of white singers and dancers who pretended to be black while performing in popular shows in the 1920s