'balladize' originates from English, specifically the word 'ballad' plus the suffix '-ize', where 'ballad' referred to a narrative song or poem and '-ize' meant 'to make or to convert into'.

'ballad' came into English from Middle English 'ballade' and Old French 'ballade', ultimately from Late Latin 'ballata' (from Latin 'ballare', meaning 'to dance'); the verb 'balladize' was formed in modern English by adding the productive verb-forming suffix '-ize' to 'ballad'.

Initially it meant 'to set or render something as a ballad' (literally to turn into a ballad); over time it also acquired the figurative sense 'to romanticize or sentimentalize a story', which is common in modern usage.