Why does "ballad" mean two different things?

Question

For one, it means a slow song, usually a love song, and it also means a "story song". Why is that?

Answer 1

a narrative song with a recurrent refrain
a narrative poem of popular origin

a poem which tells a story, usually in short rhyming verses with frequent repetition of words or lines; originally written for oral performance rather than silent reading

Some songs originate as poems and all songs are telling some kind of story. so in reality. it means the same thing. its just the way the english language is

Answer 2

The ballad was a slow story song. The meaning has changed through the years because some prefer the lyrics and some prefer the slower tempo.

Answer 3

The meanings of words change over time. Look at "theater/theatre." I don't think that anyone uses the second meaning to refer to any songs made these days, though, only in the historical sense.

Answer 4

additionally evaluate those aspects of in-prefix. infamous and extensive-unfold have extremely distinctive meanings. extensive-unfold in basic terms potential nicely extensive-unfold. To be infamous is to be extensive-unfold for being an extremely undesirable man or woman and connotes a unfavorable meaning the place extensive-unfold does no longer. powerful, whilst in comparison with worthwhile, is likewise extremely distinctive. worthwhile potential constructive or something you may no longer do without. powerful does no longer unavoidably propose constructive. Flammable and inflammable have precisely the comparable meaning - and persons have long previous on approximately this for years. Your very final 3 examples are a solid examples of how the prefix reverses the meaning. i'm too lazy to look this up on the internet, so i'm going to watch for another shiny spark to try this.