ballad
English
Etymology
From French ballade, from Old Occitan ballada (“poem for a dance”), from Late Latin ballare.
Pronunciation
Noun
ballad (plural ballads)
- A kind of narrative poem, adapted for recitation or singing; especially, a sentimental or romantic poem in short stanzas.
- 1885, Gilbert and Sullivan, “Act 1”, in The Mikado:
- A wandering minstrel I — / A thing of shreds and patches, / Of ballads, songs and snatches, / And dreamy lullaby!
- The poet composed a ballad praising the heroic exploits of the fallen commander.
- A slow romantic song.
- On Friday nights, the roller rink had a time-block called "Lovers' Lap" when they played nothing but ballads on the overhead speakers.
Derived terms
Translations
narrative poem
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slow romantic song
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Verb
ballad (third-person singular simple present ballads, present participle ballading, simple past and past participle balladed)
- (obsolete) To make mention of in ballads.
- (intransitive) To compose or sing ballads.
Categories:
- English terms borrowed from French
- English terms derived from French
- English terms derived from Old Occitan
- English terms derived from Late Latin
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms with quotations
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- English verbs
- English terms with obsolete senses
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- en:Poetry