'balada' originates from Spanish and Portuguese, specifically the word 'balada', where the root 'ball-' ultimately comes from Latin 'ballare' meaning 'to dance'.

'balada' changed from Old French/Occitan/Italian words such as 'ballade'/'ballata' (medieval Romance forms derived from Latin), and eventually became the modern Spanish and Portuguese 'balada' which has been borrowed into English usage in musical contexts.

Initially it meant 'dance-song' (a song accompanying dancing), but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'ballad' — often a slow, sentimental song or narrative poem.