folk

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/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊk

Noun

folk (countable and uncountable, plural folks)

1. (archaic) A grouping of smaller peoples or tribes as a nation.
   • 1878-1880, John Richard Green, History of the English People:

     The organization of each folk, as such, sprang mainly from war.

2. 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!

3. (plural only) People in general.
4. A particular group of people.

   Young folk, old folk, everybody come / To our little Sunday School, and have a lot of fun.

   • 1922, Ben Travers, chapter 1, in A Cuckoo in the Nest‎:

     “ […] 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. […] ”

5. (plural only, plural: folks) One’s relatives, especially one’s parents.
6. (music) Short for folk music.

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.

   folk psychology; folk linguistics

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/,

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):

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/,
• Rhymes: -olk
• Syllabification^(key): folk

Noun

folk

1. (music) folk, folk music

Declension

Derived terms

Further reading

• “folk”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (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

• Audio

  (file)

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fɔlk/

Noun

folk (plural folk or folkes)

1. 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

2. nation, race, stock
   • c. 1395, John Wycliffe, John Purvey [et al.], transl., Bible (Wycliffite Bible (later version), MS Lich 10.)‎, 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.

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

   Folk er rare.

   People are strange.

   Nordmennene er eit rart folk.

   The Norwegians are a strange 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
  • 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:
    • German Low German:

      Hamburgisch: Volk

      Westphalian:

      Lippisch: Volk

      Ravensbergisch: Folk

      Sauerländisch: Volk

      Westmünsterländisch: Volk

  • Plautdietsch: Volkj

Polish

Polish Wikipedia has an article on:

muzyka folkowa

Wikipedia ^pl

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): /fɔlk/

• Audio

  (file)

• 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/
• Rhymes: -olk
• Syllabification: folk

Noun

folk m (uncountable)

1. folk (music)

Further reading

• “folk”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014

Swedish

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• audio

  (file)

Noun

folk n

2. (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")

   1. (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

   2. (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

      1. (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

• 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