ballad

Where does the word "ballad" come from? It comes from Late Latin ballare, passing through Old French before entering English (1400s).

Ballad’s story begins in Late Latin: ballare meant “to dance.” From Greek 'ballizein', to dance. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as balade. Via Provençal 'balada', a song to dance to. It reached English by 1400s as ballad. 'power ballads' date from the 1980s. Today, ballad means a song or poem telling a story.

1. Stage 1 · Late Latin · ancient ballare "to dance", from Greek 'ballizein', to dance.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval balade "dancing song", via Provençal 'balada', a song to dance to.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1400s ballad "dancing song", 'power ballads' date from the 1980s.