The term MINSTREL'S INSTRUMENT can be summarized by two crossword solutions: LUTE (4 letters) and LYRE (4 letters). Both of these instruments are stringed instruments that have been used for centuries in various cultures. The LUTE is a plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back, while the LYRE is a harp-like instrument with strings stretched between two arms of a yoke. Both instruments were popular among minstrels in the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods.