minstrel XIII. ME. men(e)stral, min(i)stral, -el, — OF. menestral, -(e)rel, mini-, entertainer, handicraftsman, servant — Pr. menest(ai)ral officer, employed person, musician — late L. ministeriālis official, officer, f. ministerium MINISTRY; see -AL1.
So ministrelsy art of a minstrel; body of minstrels XIV; minstrel poetry XIX (Scott). — OF. menestralsie.

min·strel / ˈminstrəl/ • n. a medieval singer or musician, esp. one who sang or recited lyric or heroic poetry to a musical accompaniment for the nobility. ∎  a member of a band of entertainers with blackened faces who perform songs and music ostensibly of black American origin.

minstrel a medieval singer or musician, especially one who sang or recited lyric or heroic poetry to a musical accompaniment for the nobility. Recorded from Middle English, the word comes from Old French menestral ‘entertainer, servant’, via Provençal for late Latin ministerialis ‘servant’.

minstrel Itinerant musician and professional entertainer; more specifically, a secular musician, usually an instrumentalist. Minstrels were popular from the 12th to 17th centuries.