Final answer:
The term that best describes an Elizabethan poet is 'Bard', referenced by the renowned William Shakespeare, also known as the 'Bard of Avon'. Other terms like minnesinger, troubadour, and trouvère are more associated with medieval German and French poets.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term that best describes a poet in Elizabethan England from the options provided is C) Bard. Elizabethan poets like William Shakespeare were often referred to as bards, a term that denotes a poet, traditionally one reciting epics and associated with a particular oral tradition. Shakespeare, often hailed as the 'Bard of Avon', became a preeminent figure in this era not only through his plays but also through his sonnets and poetic work. Shakespeare's contemporaries, such as Christopher Marlowe, also showcased the rich tradition of English poetry during the 16th and early 17th centuries, a period marked by the emergence of new poetic forms and a flourishing of the English language.
The opening lines of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night and contributions by other writers like Aphra Behn illustrate the poetic language and themes common during this time. While minnesinger, troubadour, and trouvère were terms associated with medieval poets from Germany and France who composed and performed songs of courtly love, the term 'bard' is most applicable to an English poet from the Elizabethan age.