ballade : a fixed verse form consisting usually of three stanzas with recurrent rhymes, an envoi, and an identical refrain for each part
The ballade is a French poetic form that was used particularly in the 14th and 15th centuries. The three stanzas and the envoi (a short final stanza that serves as a summary or dedication) all have the same refrain as their final line.
Ballade is not to be confused with the more common word ballad. That word most commonly refers to a slow romantic or sentimental song, or in poetry, to a narrative composition in rhythmic verse that is suitable for singing. Ballade and ballad do share an origin: the Old Occitan word balada, meaning "dance" or "song sung while dancing." That word traces back to the Late Latin ballare, meaning "to dance"—the origin too of ball (the party kind) and ballet.