Ballads
/ˈbælədz/
nounBeginner📊CommonLiterature
1 meaning1 question
Definitions
1
A poem or song narrating a story, often of a romantic, tragic, or heroic nature, typically set to music.
/ˈbælədz/
nounneutralBeginner
Literature
A type of poem or song
The folk singer performed a moving ballad about the sea.
💡 Simply: A song that tells a story.
More Examples
2
She wrote a ballad about her childhood in the countryside.
How It's Used
Literary
"The anthology featured several medieval ballads."
Music
"She sang a beautiful ballad about lost love."
From Old French balade, from Provençal balada, from the verb balar 'to dance'. Originally referring to a dance song, it evolved to encompass narrative poems set to music.
Ballad traditions have existed for centuries, passed down orally before being written down.
Memory tip
Think of a 'ball' and a 'lad' dancing to a story—that's a ballad!
Word Origin
LanguageOld French
Original meaning
"to dance"
Base: ballad
folk balladmedieval balladromantic ballad
Common misspellings
baladsballades
Practice
Usage
20%Spoken
80%Written