BALAFON Meaning of BALAFON in English [ 'baləfɒn ]■ noun a large xylophone with hollow gourds as resonators, used in West African music.OriginC18: via Fr. from Manding bala 'xylophone' + fo 'to play'. Concise Oxford English vocab. Сжатый оксфордский словарь английского языка. 2004