Forms: 1 sangystre, -estre, 4 sangester, 5 Sc. sangstere, 6 Sc. -(i)star; 4, 7– songster (7 -stare). [See SONG sb. and -STER. So MDu. sangster, Du. zangster.]
1. One who sings, a singer; orig., a female singer, a songstress.
c. 1000. Ælfric, Gram., ix. (Z.), 71. Hic cantor, þes sangere. Haec cantrix, þeos sangystre [v.r. sangestre].
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. Wace (Rolls), 4032. He was þe best … Of iogelours & of sangesters.
1382. Wyclif, Ezek. xxvi. 13. Y shal make the multitude of thi songsters for to reste.
1497. Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot., I. 368. Henrj of Hadingtoune the sangstere. Ibid. (1534), VI. 207. To George Contis, sangstar, to by him hois and doublet agane Pasche.
1624. Bedell, Lett., iii. 58. The fault of the Italians: though they thinke themselues the onely songsters in the world.
c. 1670. Wood, Life (O.H.S.), I. 274. Sylvanus Taylor,… fellow of All-soules; and violist and songster.
1713. Steele, Guardian, No. 23, ¶ 4. Thus … Corydon tells Alexis that he is the finest Songster of the Country.
1784. Cowper, Task, I. 498. The peasant too,… Himself a songster, is as gay as he.
1835. G. P. R. James, Gipsy, xi. Will, you are a songster, let us hear your voice.
attrib. 1614. J. Davies (Heref.), Ecl. Willy & Wernocke, G iij b. To feed the Songster-swaines with Arts soot-meats.
2. A poet; a writer of songs or verse.
1585. Jas. I., Ess. Poesie (Arb.), 27. Homer, who a Songster bene, Albeit a beggar.
a. 1637. B. Jonson, Underwoods, lx. Wks. (Rtldg.), 706/2. Silk will draw some sneaking songster thither, It is a rhyming age, and verses swarm At every stall.
1743. Pol. Ballads (1860), II. 304. Each party’s joke, Each trifling songster’s sport.
1848. Mariotti, Italy, II. vi. 214. Giusti may be a rival, but no imitator of the French songster [Béranger].
1872. Spurgeon, Treas. David, Ps. lix. 14. Here verse six is repeated, as if the songster defied his foes.
3. A bird that sings; a song-bird.
1700. Dryden, Flower & Leaf, 449. And either Songster holding out their Throats, And folding up their Wings renew’d their Notes.
1730–46. Thomson, Autumn, 972. Haply some widow’d songster pours his plaint.
1837. M. Donovan, Dom. Econ., II. 143. The Skylark, a superior songster, is much sought after in most countries where it abounds.
attrib. 1783. Latham, Gen. Synop. Birds, II. I. 59. Songster Thrush … has a fine song.
1829. Griffith, trans. Cuvier, VI. 394. Songster Thrush,… Turdus Cantor.
