folk

folk

synonyms, antonyms, definitions, examples & translations of folk in English

English Online Dictionary. What means folk‎? What does folk mean?

English

Alternative forms

  • vok, volk, volge, volke (dialectal)

Etymology

From Middle English folk, from Old English folc, from Proto-West Germanic *folk, from Proto-Germanic *fulką, from Proto-Indo-European *pl̥h₁-gós, from *pleh₁- (“to fill”).

Cognate with German Volk, Dutch volk, Swedish folk and Danish folk. Doublet of volk.

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /fəʊk/
  • (General American) IPA(key): /foʊk/, (nonstandard) /foʊlk/
  • Rhymes: -əʊk

Noun

folk (countable and uncountable, plural folks)

  1. (countable, archaic) A people; a tribe or nation; the inhabitants of a region, especially the native inhabitants.
    • 1907, Race Prejudice, Jean Finot, page 251:
      We thus arrive at a most unexpected imbroglio. The French have become a Germanic folk and the Germanic folk have become Gaulish!
  2. (collective plural) People, persons.
  3. (collective plural, usually as folks) One’s relatives, especially one’s parents.
  4. (music) Short for folk music.

Usage notes

  • In principle, folk behaves grammatically like the synonym people. As a countable noun (meaning “nation”) it may take the plural folks. As a collective plural (meaning “persons”) it remains unchanged. Informally, however, the form folks is also used in the collective sense (which is not possible for peoples). This latter usage is particularly common in the sense “relatives”.

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Adjective

folk (not comparable)

  1. Of or pertaining to the inhabitants of a land, their culture, tradition, or history.
  2. Of or pertaining to common people as opposed to ruling classes or elites.
  3. (architecture) Of or related to local building materials and styles.
  4. Believed or transmitted by the common people; not academically correct or rigorous.

Derived terms

  • folk etymology
  • folk medicine

Translations

Further reading

  • "folk" in Raymond Williams, Keywords (revised), 1983, Fontana Press, page 136.

Danish

Etymology 1

From Old Norse fólk, from Proto-Germanic *fulką.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /fɔlk/, [fʌlˀɡ̊]

Noun

folk n (singular definite folket, plural indefinite folk)

  1. people, persons
    Der var mange folk på torvet.
    There were many people on the plaza.
  2. one, people
    Folk ved ikke hvor meget deres hamstre er værd.
    People don't know how much their hamsters are worth.
  3. (countable) a people, a nation (not necessarily politically or geographically united)
  4. crew
Declension
Synonyms
  • (nation): folkeslag, nation
Derived terms
  • hoffolk
Further reading
  • “folk” in Den Danske Ordbog
  • “folk” in Ordbog over det danske Sprog

Etymology 2

From English folk (“folk music”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈfɔwɡ̊]

Noun

folk c (singular definite folken, not used in plural form)

  1. folk music (contemporary music in the style of traditional folk music)

See also

  • folk on the Danish Wikipedia.Wikipedia da

Finnish

Alternative forms

  • folkki

Etymology

From English folk.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈfolk/, [ˈfo̞lk]
  • Rhymes: -olk
  • Hyphenation(key): folk

Noun

folk

  1. (music) folk, folk music

Declension

Derived terms

Further reading

  • “folk”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

French

Pronunciation

Noun

folk m or f (plural folks)

  1. folk (folk music)

Middle English

Alternative forms

  • folke, foolk, fok, folck, folc, follc, volk

Etymology

From Old English folc, from Proto-West Germanic *folk, from Proto-Germanic *fulką.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /fɔlk/

Noun

folk (plural folk or folkes)

  1. people, folk (multiple individuals)
  2. nation, race, stock
  3. group, band, troop (of people):
    1. subjects, followers, comitatus
    2. army, retinue (group of armed people)
    3. gathering, parliament
  4. family, kin, relatives
  5. humankind, humanity; all people
  6. (rare) creatures, beings

Usage notes

Can be treated as a singular or a plural noun.

Related terms

  • lond folk
  • Northfolk
  • Suffolk

Descendants

  • English: folk
  • Scots: fowk

References

  • “folk, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Old Norse fólk, folk, from Proto-Germanic *fulką.

Noun

folk n (definite singular folket, indefinite plural folk, definite plural folka or folkene)

  1. a people
  2. people in general
  3. folk

Derived terms

Related terms

  • avfolke
  • befolke

References

  • “folk” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Old Norse folk, fólk. Akin to English folk.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /fɔlk/, /fɔɽk/

Noun

folk n (definite singular folket, indefinite plural folk, definite plural folka)

  1. people

Derived terms

Related terms

Male given names:

Female given names:

References

  • “folk” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old Frisian

Alternative forms

  • fulk,

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *folk, from Proto-Germanic *fulką.

Noun

folk n

  1. people, folk

Inflection

Descendants

  • North Frisian:
    • Föhr-Amrum: folk
  • Saterland Frisian: Foulk
  • West Frisian: folk

Old High German

Alternative forms

  • folc

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *folk

Noun

folk n

  1. people, folk
  2. troop; group of warriors

Declension

Descendants

  • Middle High German: volk
    • Cimbrian: vòlk, bòlk (Mezzaselva)
    • German: Volk
    • Hunsrik: Follek
    • Luxembourgish: Vollek
    • Vilamovian: fulk
    • Yiddish: פֿאָלק (folk)

Old Norse

Alternative forms

  • fólk

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *fulką.

Noun

folk n

  1. troop, army
  2. people

Usage notes

  • The meaning of ‘troop, army’ is decidedly older and is the only one present in the earliest poetry. There, þjóð and lýðir are used for the meaning ‘people’.

Declension

Descendants

  • Icelandic: fólk
  • Faroese: fólk
  • Norn: folekar
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: folk; (dialectal) fólk, fókk, følk, fælk
  • Jamtish: fołk
  • Elfdalian: fuok
  • Old Swedish: folk, fulk
    • Swedish: folk
  • Old Danish: folk
    • Danish: folk
      • Norwegian Bokmål: folk
    • Scanian: fólk
  • Old Gutnish: fulk
    • Gutnish: fålk

Old Saxon

Alternative forms

  • folc

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *folk.

Noun

folk n

  1. people, folk

Declension

Descendants

  • Middle Low German: volk
    • Low German: Volk
      • German Low German: Volk
        Hamburgisch: Volk
        Westphalian:
        Lippisch: Volk
        Ravensbergisch: Folk
        Sauerländisch: Volk
        Westmünsterländisch: Volk
    • Plautdietsch: Volkj

Polish

Etymology

Borrowed from English folk (music), from Middle English folk, from Old English folc, from Proto-West Germanic *folk, from Proto-Germanic *fulką, from Proto-Indo-European *pl̥h₁-gós, from *pleh₁-.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈfɔlk/
  • Rhymes: -ɔlk
  • Syllabification: folk

Noun

folk m inan

  1. folk music (contemporary music in traditional style)

Declension

Derived terms

Related terms

Further reading

  • folk in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • folk in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English folk.

Pronunciation

Noun

folk m (uncountable)

  1. (music) folk music (contemporary music in traditional style)
    Synonym: música folk

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from English folk.

Noun

folk n (uncountable)

  1. folk music

Declension

Scots

Noun

folk (plural folks)

  1. Alternative spelling of fowk

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from English folk.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈfolk/ [ˈfolk]
  • Rhymes: -olk
  • Syllabification: folk

Noun

folk m (uncountable)

  1. folk (music)

Further reading

  • “folk”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Swedish fōlk, from Runic Swedish fulk, from Old Norse fólk, folk, from Proto-Germanic *fulką.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /fɔlːk/

Noun

folk n

  2. (chiefly uncountable) people
    1. (countable) a people (larger social unit, often the people of a nation)
    2. (chiefly uncountable) people (most people or the common people, sometimes also in terms of culture, traditions, etc.)
      1. (in some expressions) ordinary, reasonable people

Usage notes

  • Not inherently rustic like English folk, but sometimes with similar connotations, as seen above.
  • Usually interchangeable with människor in the generic sense of people.
  • Refers to international law in folkrätt.

Declension

Derived terms

See also

  • människa
  • person
  • snubbe

References

  • folk in Svensk ordbok (SO)
  • folk in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
  • folk in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)
  • folk in Elof Hellquist, Svensk etymologisk ordbok (1st ed., 1922)

West Frisian

Etymology

From Old Frisian folk, from Proto-West Germanic *folk.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /folk/, /foːwk/

Noun

folk n (plural folken, diminutive folkje)

  1. people, folk

Further reading

  • “folk”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011

Interjection

folk

  1. call at the door if anyone's home

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This article based on an article on Wiktionary. The list of authors can be seen in the page history there. The original work has been modified. This article is distributed under the terms of this license.