What Does The Word Ballad Mean?

It is a narrative poem, focusing on action rather than emotion. In other words, the story is told in an objective manner. Since it was originally orally-transmitted, a ballad makes use of incremental repetions for the sake of memorizing. The content is about tragic events such as patricide, betrayal of lovers, and death. Sometimes there is a supernatural element in the poem like a man talking to a ghost. The story is narrated through the dialogue of characters in the form of question and answer.