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definitions

ballad

[ bal-uh d ]
/ ˈbæl əd /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ballad ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

any light, simple song, especially one of sentimental or romantic character, having two or more stanzas all sung to the same melody.
a simple narrative poem of folk origin, composed in short stanzas and adapted for singing.
any poem written in similar style.
the music for a ballad.
a sentimental or romantic popular song.

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RELATED WORDS

chant, ditty, serenade, carol

Nearby words

  1. ball-carrier,
  2. ball-peen hammer,
  3. ball-up,
  4. ball-valve thrombus,
  5. balla,
  6. ballad metre,
  7. ballad of reading gaol, the,
  8. ballad opera,
  9. ballad stanza,
  10. ballade

Origin of ballad

1350–1400; Middle English balade < Middle French < Old Provençal balada dance, dancing-song, equivalent to bal(ar) to dance (< Late Latin ballāre; see ball2) + -ada -ade1
Related formsbal·lad·ic [buh-lad-ik] /bəˈlæd ɪk/, adjectivebal·lad·like, adjective
Can be confusedballad ballet ballot
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ballad

British Dictionary definitions for ballad

ballad

/ (ˈbæləd) /

noun

a narrative song with a recurrent refrain
a narrative poem in short stanzas of popular origin, originally sung to a repeated tune
a slow sentimental song, esp a pop song

Word Origin for ballad

C15: from Old French balade, from Old Provençal balada song accompanying a dance, from balar to dance, from Late Latin ballāre; see ball ²
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for ballad

ballad

n.

late 15c., from French ballade "dancing song" (13c.), from Old Provençal ballada "(poem for a) dance," from balar "to dance," from Late Latin ballare "to dance" (see ball (n.2)).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Culture definitions for ballad (1 of 2)

ballad

A simple narrative song, or a narrative poem suitable for singing. The ballad usually has a short stanza, such as:

There are twelve months in all the year,
As I hear many men say,
But the merriest month in all the year
Is the merry month of May.

Culture definitions for ballad (2 of 2)

ballad

A simple narrative song, or, alternatively, a narrative poem suitable for singing. (See under “Conventions of Written English.”)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.