Where does “balast” come from?

balast (Serbo-Croatian) comes from German ballast, from Russian балласт, from Dutch ballast, from Middle Dutch ballast.

balast (Serbo-Croatian): ballast

Definitions

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	German	ballast	—
2	Russian	балласт	ballast; dead weight
3	Dutch	ballast	ballast; baggage
4	Middle Dutch	ballast	—

balast — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer