one of a genre of Old French epic poems celebrating heroic deeds, the most famous of which is the Chanson de Roland
Word origin
literally: song of exploits
chanson de geste in American English
(də ˈʒɛst)
French
any of the Old French epic poems of the 12th to 14th cent., esp. one connected with the exploits of Charlemagne and his knights, as the Chanson de Roland (Song of Roland)