folk
English
[edit]Alternative forms
[edit]Etymology
[edit]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
[edit]- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /fəʊk/
- (General American) IPA(key): /foʊk/, (nonstandard) /foʊlk/
Audio (US): (file) - Rhymes: -əʊk
Noun
[edit]folk (countable and uncountable, plural folks)
- (countable, archaic) A people; a tribe or nation; the inhabitants of a region, especially the native inhabitants.
- 1878-1880, John Richard Green, History of the English People:
- The organization of each folk, as such, sprang mainly from war.
- 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!
- (collective plural) People, persons.
- There were a lot of folk in the streets.
- Young folk, old folk, everybody come / To our little Sunday School, and have a lot of fun.
- 1921, Ben Travers, chapter 1, in A Cuckoo in the Nest, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1925, →OCLC:
- “ […] the awfully hearty sort of Christmas cards that people do send to other people that they don't know at all well. You know. The kind that have mottoes […] . And then, when you see [the senders], you probably find that they are the most melancholy old folk with malignant diseases. […] ”
- (collective plural, usually as folks) One’s relatives, especially one’s parents.
- I need to call my folks back home.
- (music) Short for folk music.
Usage notes
[edit]- 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
[edit]- adfolk
- alms-folk
- almsfolk
- anti-folk
- avant-folk
- beaker folk
- blackfolk
- Britfolk
- businessfolk
- chairfolk
- Chinese folk religion
- cisfolk
- clansfolk
- commonfolk
- congressfolk
- countryfolk
- cunning folk
- doom folk
- electrofolk
- elfenfolk
- elfinfolk
- elle-folk
- elvenfolk
- fairy folk
- feathered folk
- fieldfolk
- finfolk
- fisherfolk
- folkadelic
- folk art
- folk-blues
- folkcraft
- folk culture
- folk dance
- folk dancer
- folk dancing
- folk devil
- folkdom
- folker
- folk-etymologically
- folk etymologist
- folk-etymologize
- folk etymology
- folkfree
- folkgame
- folk hero, folk-hero
- folk horror
- folk house
- folkie
- folk illness
- folkish
- folkland
- folklife
- folklike, folk-like
- folk linguistics
- folklore, folk-lore
- folkly
- folk-medicine, folk medicine
- folk memory
- folk-metal, folk metal
- folkmoot
- folk music
- folk name
- folknik
- folk-punk, folk punk
- folkred
- folk religion
- folk religionist
- folkright
- folk-rocker
- folk-rock, folk rock
- folk singer
- folksinger
- folksinging
- folk song
- folksonomy
- folkster
- folk story
- folkstyle
- folksy
- folktale
- folk tale
- folk taxonomy
- folktronica
- folkway, folk-way, folk way
- folkweave
- folky
- freak folk
- gayfolk
- gentlefolk
- good folk
- grandfolk
- grey folk
- hackfolk
- henchfolk
- hillfolk
- housefolk
- indie folk
- kinfolk
- kinsfolk
- kithfolk
- ladyfolk
- landfolk
- layfolk
- little folk
- lizard-folk
- lizardfolk
- menfolk
- merfolk
- neofolk
- nonfolk
- pseudofolk
- psychedelic folk
- psych folk
- ratfolk
- rat-folk
- regular folk
- seafolk
- shopfolk
- showfolk
- skinfolk
- smallfolk
- smallfolk
- snowfolk
- straightfolk
- streetfolk
- there's nowt so queer as folk
- townfolk
- townsfolk
- tradesfolk
- transfolk
- turbo-folk
- wee folk
- wee folks
- whitefolk
- womenfolk
- workfolk
- wyrd folk
- yachtsfolk
- youngfolk
Related terms
[edit]Translations
[edit]
|
Adjective
[edit]folk (not comparable)
- Of or pertaining to the inhabitants of a land, their culture, tradition, or history.
- Of or pertaining to common people as opposed to ruling classes or elites.
- (architecture) Of or related to local building materials and styles.
- Believed or transmitted by the common people; not academically correct or rigorous.
- folk psychology; folk linguistics
Derived terms
[edit]Translations
[edit]Further reading
[edit]- "folk" in Raymond Williams, Keywords (revised), 1983, Fontana Press, page 136.
Danish
[edit]Etymology 1
[edit]From Old Norse fólk, from Proto-Germanic *fulką.
Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]folk n (singular definite folket, plural indefinite folk)
- people, persons
- Der var mange folk på torvet.
- There were many people on the plaza.
- Der var mange folk på torvet.
- one, people
- Folk ved ikke hvor meget deres hamstre er værd.
- People don't know how much their hamsters are worth.
- Folk ved ikke hvor meget deres hamstre er værd.
- (countable) a people, a nation (not necessarily politically or geographically united)
- crew
Declension
[edit]Synonyms
[edit]Derived terms
[edit]Further reading
[edit]Etymology 2
[edit]From English folk (“folk music”).
Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]folk c (singular definite folken, not used in plural form)
- folk music (contemporary music in the style of traditional folk music)
See also
[edit]folk on the Danish Wikipedia.Wikipedia da
Finnish
[edit]Alternative forms
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]folk
- (music) folk, folk music
Declension
[edit]Inflection of folk (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation) | |||
---|---|---|---|
nominative | folk | folkit | |
genitive | folkin | folkien | |
partitive | folkia | folkeja | |
illative | folkiin | folkeihin | |
singular | plural | ||
nominative | folk | folkit | |
accusative | nom. | folk | folkit |
gen. | folkin | ||
genitive | folkin | folkien | |
partitive | folkia | folkeja | |
inessive | folkissa | folkeissa | |
elative | folkista | folkeista | |
illative | folkiin | folkeihin | |
adessive | folkilla | folkeilla | |
ablative | folkilta | folkeilta | |
allative | folkille | folkeille | |
essive | folkina | folkeina | |
translative | folkiksi | folkeiksi | |
abessive | folkitta | folkeitta | |
instructive | — | folkein | |
comitative | See the possessive forms below. |
Derived terms
[edit]Further reading
[edit]- “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
[edit]Pronunciation
[edit]Audio: (file)
Noun
[edit]folk m or f (plural folks)
- folk (folk music)
Middle English
[edit]Alternative forms
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From Old English folk, from Proto-West Germanic *folk, from Proto-Germanic *fulką.
Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]folk (plural folk or folkes)
- people, folk (multiple individuals)
- 1387–1400, [Geoffrey] Chaucer, “Here Bygynneth the Book of the Tales of Caunt́burẏ”, in The Tales of Caunt́bury (Hengwrt Chaucer; Peniarth Manuscript 392D), Aberystwyth, Ceredigion: National Library of Wales, published [c. 1400–1410], →OCLC, folio 2, recto, lines 23-26:
- At nyght was come / in to that hoſtelrye / Wel ·xxix· in a compaignye / Of sondry folk / by auenture yfalle / In felaweſhipe / and pilgrymes weere they alle
- There came at nightfall to that hostelry / Some nine and twenty in a company / Of sundry folk who had chanced to fall / In fellowship, and pilgrims were they all
- nation, race, stock
- c. 1395, John Wycliffe, John Purvey [et al.], transl., Bible (Wycliffite Bible (later version), MS Lich 10.)[2], published c. 1410, Apocalips 11:18, page 121r, column 2; republished as Wycliffe's translation of the New Testament, Lichfield: Bill Endres, 2010:
- ⁊ folkis ben wrooþ · ⁊ þi wraþþe cam · ⁊ tyme of deed men to be demed · ⁊ to ȝelde meede to þi ſeruauntis ⁊ pꝛophetis ⁊ halowis ⁊ dꝛedynge þi name · to ſmale ⁊ to grete / ⁊ to diſtrie hem þat coꝛrumpiden þe erþe
- And the nations were furious; then your fury came. It is time for the dead to be judged, to give rewards to your servants, prophets, saints, and those who fear your name, both small and large, and to destroy those who destroyed the Earth.
- group, band, troop (of people):
- family, kin, relatives
- humankind, humanity; all people
- (rare) creatures, beings
Usage notes
[edit]Can be treated as a singular or a plural noun.
Related terms
[edit]Descendants
[edit]References
[edit]- “folk, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
Norwegian Bokmål
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From Old Norse fólk, folk, from Proto-Germanic *fulką.
Noun
[edit]folk n (definite singular folket, indefinite plural folk, definite plural folka or folkene)
Derived terms
[edit]- bygdefolk
- fagfolk
- folkeavstemning
- folkedans
- folkeetymologi
- folkeferd
- folkefest
- folkefiende
- Folkeforbundet
- folkegruppe
- folkehelt
- folkelig
- folkemedisin
- folkemengde
- folkemening
- folkemord
- folkemusikk
- folkeopinion
- folkerepublikk
- folkerik
- folkeslag
- folkestamme
- folketall
- folketelling
- folketetthet
- folketro
- folkevalgt
- forretningsfolk
- handelsfolk
- kvinnfolk
- mannfolk
- nomadefolk
- pengefolk
- sjøfolk
- urfolk
Related terms
[edit]References
[edit]- “folk” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
Norwegian Nynorsk
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From Old Norse folk, fólk. Akin to English folk.
Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]folk n (definite singular folket, indefinite plural folk, definite plural folka)
- people
- Folk er rare.
- People are strange.
- Nordmennene er eit rart folk.
- The Norwegians are a strange people.
Derived terms
[edit]- bygdefolk
- fagfolk
- folkedans
- folkeetymologi
- folkefest
- folkefiende
- Folkeforbundet
- folkegruppe
- folkehelt
- folkekunst
- folkemedisin
- folkemeining
- folkemengd, folkemengde
- folkemord
- folkemusikk
- folkens
- folkeopinion
- folkerepublikk
- folkerik
- folkerøysting
- folkesetnad
- folkeslag
- folkestamme
- folketal
- folketettleik
- folketru
- forretningsfolk
- handelsfolk
- kvinnfolk
- mannfolk
- nomadefolk
- pengefolk
- sjøfolk
- urfolk
Related terms
[edit]Male given names:
Female given names:
References
[edit]- “folk” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
Old Frisian
[edit]Alternative forms
[edit]- fulk,
Etymology
[edit]From Proto-West Germanic *folk, from Proto-Germanic *fulką.
Noun
[edit]folk n
Inflection
[edit]Declension of folk (neuter a-stem) | ||
---|---|---|
singular | plural | |
nominative | folk | folk |
genitive | folkes | folka |
dative | folke | folkum, folkem |
accusative | folk | folk |
Descendants
[edit]Old High German
[edit]Alternative forms
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From Proto-West Germanic *folk
Noun
[edit]folk n
Declension
[edit]case | singular | plural |
---|---|---|
nominative | folk | folk |
accusative | folk | folk |
genitive | folkes | folko |
dative | folke | folkum |
instrumental | folku | — |
Descendants
[edit]- Middle High German: volk
Old Norse
[edit]Alternative forms
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From Proto-Germanic *fulką.
Noun
[edit]folk n
Usage notes
[edit]- 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
[edit]Descendants
[edit]- 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
- Old Gutnish: fulk
- Gutnish: fålk
Old Saxon
[edit]Alternative forms
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From Proto-West Germanic *folk.
Noun
[edit]folk n
Declension
[edit]singular | plural | |
---|---|---|
nominative | folk | folk |
accusative | folk | folk |
genitive | folkes | folkō |
dative | folke | folkun |
instrumental | — | — |
Descendants
[edit]- Middle Low German: volk
Polish
[edit]Etymology
[edit]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
[edit]Noun
[edit]folk m inan
- folk music (contemporary music in traditional style)
Declension
[edit]Derived terms
[edit]Related terms
[edit]Further reading
[edit]- folk in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
- folk in Polish dictionaries at PWN
Portuguese
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Unadapted borrowing from English folk.
Pronunciation
[edit]
Noun
[edit]folk m (uncountable)
- (music) folk music (contemporary music in traditional style)
- Synonym: música folk
Romanian
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Noun
[edit]folk n (uncountable)
Declension
[edit]Scots
[edit]Noun
[edit]folk (plural folks)
- Alternative spelling of fowk
Spanish
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]folk m (uncountable)
- folk (music)
Further reading
[edit]- “folk”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014
Swedish
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From Old Swedish fōlk, from Runic Swedish fulk, from Old Norse fólk, folk, from Proto-Germanic *fulką.
Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]folk n
- (chiefly uncountable) people
- Det var mycket folk på Stigs fest
- There were a lot of people at Stig's party
- Det står en massa folk där borta
- There is a bunch of people standing over there
- komma bort i folkhavet
- get lost in the sea of people
- vanligt folk
- common people
- fint folk
- people of high social standing, gentlefolk
- båtfolk
- boat people (people into boating)
- folk och fä
- people and animals (idiomatic)
- Han är väl som folk är mest
- I guess he's like most people ("like people are mostly" – slightly unusual phrasing, but idiomatic in "som group är mest")
- (countable) a people (larger social unit, often the people of a nation)
- Folket har talat. Nisses kebabsås vann omröstningen.
- The people have spoken. Nisse's kebab sauce won the vote.
- det amerikanska folket
- the American people
- de nordiska folken
- the Nordic peoples
- orsaka en folkstorm
- cause a public outcry
- (chiefly uncountable) people (most people or the common people, sometimes also in terms of culture, traditions, etc.)
- folk och herrar
- people and lords
- folkets fiender
- the enemies of the people
- Folket reste sig mot adeln och kungamakten
- The people rose up against the nobility and royalty
- folkmusik
- folk music
- folkdräkt
- folk costume
- (in some expressions) ordinary, reasonable people
- Du verkar stressad, Nisse. Ta dig en sup så att du blir som folk.
- You seem stressed out, Nisse. Have a drink to straighten yourself out ("so that you become like people").
- Uppför dig som folk!
- Act like a civilized person ("like people")!
- Hon borde växa upp och bli som folk
- She should grow up and become a responsible adult ("become like people")
Usage notes
[edit]- 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
[edit]Declension of folk | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Singular | Plural | |||
Indefinite | Definite | Indefinite | Definite | |
Nominative | folk | folket | folk | folken |
Genitive | folks | folkets | folks | folkens |
Derived terms
[edit]See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 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
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From Old Frisian folk, from Proto-West Germanic *folk.
Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]folk n (plural folken, diminutive folkje)
Further reading
[edit]- “folk”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011
Interjection
[edit]folk
- call at the door if anyone's home
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *pleh₁-
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms inherited from Old English
- English terms derived from Old English
- English terms inherited from Proto-West Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-West Germanic
- English terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- English terms inherited from Proto-Indo-European
- English doublets
- English 1-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- Rhymes:English/əʊk
- Rhymes:English/əʊk/1 syllable
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English uncountable nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms with archaic senses
- English terms with quotations
- English terms with usage examples
- en:Music
- English short forms
- English adjectives
- English uncomparable adjectives
- en:Architecture
- en:Collectives
- en:People
- Danish terms inherited from Old Norse
- Danish terms derived from Old Norse
- Danish terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- Danish terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Danish terms with IPA pronunciation
- Danish lemmas
- Danish nouns
- Danish neuter nouns
- Danish countable nouns
- Danish terms borrowed from English
- Danish terms derived from English
- Danish common-gender nouns
- Finnish terms borrowed from English
- Finnish terms derived from English
- Finnish 1-syllable words
- Finnish terms with IPA pronunciation
- Rhymes:Finnish/olk
- Rhymes:Finnish/olk/1 syllable
- Finnish lemmas
- Finnish nouns
- fi:Music
- Finnish risti-type nominals
- French terms with audio links
- French lemmas
- French nouns
- French countable nouns
- French terms spelled with K
- French masculine nouns
- French feminine nouns
- French nouns with multiple genders
- fr:Musical genres
- Middle English terms inherited from Old English
- Middle English terms derived from Old English
- Middle English terms inherited from Proto-West Germanic
- Middle English terms derived from Proto-West Germanic
- Middle English terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- Middle English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Middle English terms with IPA pronunciation
- Middle English lemmas
- Middle English nouns
- Middle English terms with quotations
- Middle English terms with rare senses
- enm:Collectives
- enm:Military
- enm:People
- Norwegian Bokmål terms inherited from Old Norse
- Norwegian Bokmål terms derived from Old Norse
- Norwegian Bokmål terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Norwegian Bokmål lemmas
- Norwegian Bokmål nouns
- Norwegian Bokmål neuter nouns
- Norwegian Nynorsk terms inherited from Old Norse
- Norwegian Nynorsk terms derived from Old Norse
- Norwegian Nynorsk terms with IPA pronunciation
- Norwegian Nynorsk lemmas
- Norwegian Nynorsk nouns
- Norwegian Nynorsk neuter nouns
- Norwegian Nynorsk terms with usage examples
- Old Frisian terms inherited from Proto-West Germanic
- Old Frisian terms derived from Proto-West Germanic
- Old Frisian terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- Old Frisian terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Old Frisian lemmas
- Old Frisian nouns
- Old Frisian neuter nouns
- Old Frisian a-stem nouns
- Old High German terms inherited from Proto-West Germanic
- Old High German terms derived from Proto-West Germanic
- Old High German lemmas
- Old High German nouns
- Old High German neuter nouns
- Old High German a-stem nouns
- Old Norse terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- Old Norse terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Old Norse lemmas
- Old Norse nouns
- Old Norse neuter nouns
- Old Norse neuter a-stem nouns
- Old Saxon terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Old Saxon terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- Old Saxon terms inherited from Proto-West Germanic
- Old Saxon terms derived from Proto-West Germanic
- Old Saxon lemmas
- Old Saxon nouns
- Old Saxon neuter nouns
- Old Saxon a-stem nouns
- Polish terms borrowed from English
- Polish terms derived from English
- Polish terms derived from Middle English
- Polish terms derived from Old English
- Polish terms derived from Proto-West Germanic
- Polish terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Polish terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- Polish 1-syllable words
- Polish terms with IPA pronunciation
- Polish terms with audio links
- Rhymes:Polish/ɔlk
- Rhymes:Polish/ɔlk/1 syllable
- Polish lemmas
- Polish nouns
- Polish masculine nouns
- Polish inanimate nouns
- Polish singularia tantum
- pl:Musical genres
- Portuguese terms borrowed from English
- Portuguese unadapted borrowings from English
- Portuguese terms derived from English
- Portuguese 2-syllable words
- Portuguese terms with IPA pronunciation
- Portuguese lemmas
- Portuguese nouns
- Portuguese uncountable nouns
- Portuguese terms spelled with K
- Portuguese masculine nouns
- pt:Musical genres
- Romanian terms borrowed from English
- Romanian terms derived from English
- Romanian lemmas
- Romanian nouns
- Romanian uncountable nouns
- Romanian terms spelled with K
- Romanian neuter nouns
- Scots lemmas
- Scots nouns
- Spanish terms borrowed from English
- Spanish terms derived from English
- Spanish 1-syllable words
- Spanish terms with IPA pronunciation
- Rhymes:Spanish/olk
- Rhymes:Spanish/olk/1 syllable
- Spanish lemmas
- Spanish nouns
- Spanish uncountable nouns
- Spanish terms spelled with K
- Spanish masculine nouns
- Swedish terms inherited from Old Swedish
- Swedish terms derived from Old Swedish
- Swedish terms derived from Old Norse
- Swedish terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- Swedish terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- Swedish terms with IPA pronunciation
- Swedish terms with audio links
- Swedish lemmas
- Swedish nouns
- Swedish neuter nouns
- Swedish uncountable nouns
- Swedish terms with usage examples
- Swedish countable nouns
- West Frisian terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- West Frisian terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- West Frisian terms inherited from Old Frisian
- West Frisian terms derived from Old Frisian
- West Frisian terms inherited from Proto-West Germanic
- West Frisian terms derived from Proto-West Germanic
- West Frisian terms with IPA pronunciation
- West Frisian lemmas
- West Frisian nouns
- West Frisian neuter nouns
- West Frisian interjections