English
ballad
Ballad comes from French ballade ‘ballade (lyric poem)’, from Late Latin ballō ‘to dance’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH- ‘to throw’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷelH-1‘to throw’uncertain
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEballō2as ballare‘to dance’
- Old Occitanc. 950–1500ballada2‘poem for a dance’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentballade2‘ballade (lyric poem)’
- Englishearliest quotation 1882ballad2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin ballo
- 2 Wiktionary, English ballad
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1882, John Ashton, Origin of Ballads: “Of all varieties of poetry, the Ballad, in the…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷelH-Wiktionary, Latin ballo‘to throw’uncertain
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEballōWiktionary, English balladas ballare‘to dance’
- Old Occitanc. 950–1500balladaWiktionary, English ballad‘poem for a dance’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentballadeWiktionary, English ballad‘ballade (lyric poem)’
- Englishearliest quotation 1882balladWiktionary, English ballad. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1882, John Ashton, Origin of Ballads: “Of all varieties of poetry, the Ballad, in the…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH- ‘to throw’
symbol, devil, metabolic, emblem, ballet, hyperbolic, quail, parable, ballistic, quill, parabolic, embolism, anabolic, obelisk, quell, metabolize, pul, hyperbola, ballista, 65 more
Today it means
noun A kind of narrative poem, adapted for recitation or singing; especially, a sentimental or romantic poem in short stanzas.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “ballad”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin ballo. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH- / ballad