A person who writes, composes, performs, or specializes in ballads; an expert in ballad literature.
From 'ballad' plus the suffix '-ist' (meaning 'person who practices' or 'expert in'). The '-ist' suffix comes from Latin and French.
A 'balladist' sounds more scholarly than 'balladeer'—it suggests someone who studies and understands ballad tradition deeply, not just performs it, making it the term used in academic contexts.
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