Balladry
/ˈbæl.əd.ri/noun
The art or practice of composing or performing ballads.
Did you know?The word ultimately comes from a root meaning “to dance,” so ballads began as something closer to sung movement than quiet poetry.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bhel-
“to swell, blow, or be inflated; also a root behind roundness and movement in later branches”
Late Latin
Latin
ballāre
“to dance”
Old Provençal
Occitan
balada
“a dance song; a song for dancing”
Old French
Old French
ballade
“a song or poem, often for singing”
Middle English
English
ballade
“a song or narrative poem”