an opera consisting of popular tunes to which appropriate words have been set, interspersed with spoken dialogue
ballad opera in American English
noun
a theater entertainment of 18th-century England, consisting of popular tunes, folk songs, and dialogue
Word origin
[1770–80]This word is first recorded in the period 1770–80. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: advisory, embed, lotto, parka, red flag