n. [ OE. balade, OF. balade, F. ballade, fr. Pr. ballada a dancing song, fr. ballare to dance; cf. It. ballata. See 2d Ball, n., and Ballet. ] A popular kind of narrative poem, adapted for recitation or singing;
v. i. To make or sing ballads. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]
v. t. To make mention of in ballads. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]
n. [ See Ballad, n. ] A form of French versification, sometimes imitated in English, in which three or four rhymes recur through three stanzas of eight or ten lines each, the stanzas concluding with a refrain, and the whole poem with an envoy. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. A writer of ballads. [ 1913 Webster ]
[ See Monger. ] A seller or maker of ballads; a poetaster. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. [ From Ballad, n. ] Ballad poems; the subject or style of ballads. “Base balladry is so beloved.” Drayton. [ 1913 Webster ]