bəˈläd, ba-, -ȧd, -ad; bȧˈlȧd, bäˈläd noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English balade
1. : a medieval French verse form or the English verse form derived from it having usually three stanzas of 7, 8, or 10 lines, maintaining the same three or four rhymes throughout, and concluding with an envoi of half the stanzaic length usually in the form of an apostrophe addressed to an individual, the last line of each stanza and of the envoi being an identical refrain
2.
a. : an elaborate musical setting of a ballad with or without text
b. : a musical composition usually for piano suggesting the theme or spirit of an epic ballad