gusan means A creative and performing artist — singer, instrumentalist, dancer, storyteller, and professional folk actor in public theaters of Parthia and ancient and medieval Armenia. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 82 out of 100.
Why “gusan” is a great word
A professional folk actor of the public theaters in ancient and medieval Armenia and Parthia, encompassing singers, instrumentalists, dancers, and storytellers. The term derives from Armenian գուսան (gusan), a figure first attested in early Armenian sources. Unlike the ashugh, a later tradition of singer-poets specializing in lyrical, romantic verse, or the bard, a Celtic singer of epic tales, the gusan was an older, broader professional of the stage and public square. One hears the thrum of his lute in a dusty courtyard, sees the flicker of his expressive hands conjuring heroes in firelight, and feels the collective breath of an audience held by a story older than the stones they sit upon—the living thread of memory performed before it could be written.
Etymology
From Armenian գուսան (gusan).
noun
- A creative and performing artist — singer, instrumentalist, dancer, storyteller, and professional folk actor in public theaters of Parthia and ancient and medieval Armenia.