Volk

See also: volk

German

der Reichstag mit der Inschrift „Dem deutschen Volke“ — the Reichstag with the inscription „To the German people“ (sense 1)

Etymology

From Middle High German volc, from Old High German folc, from Proto-Germanic *fulką. Cognate with Dutch volk, English, Swedish and Danish folk.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fɔlk/

• Audio

  (file)

• Homophone: folg (not for all speakers)

Noun

Volk n (genitive Volkes or Volks, plural Völker, diminutive Völkchen n or Völklein n)

1. people, nation, tribe, race (group united by culture, history, descent, and/or language)
2. people, population, citizens
3. (possibly dated) common people, the lower classes, the working classes
4. folk, crowd (large group of people gathered somewhere)
5. (biology) herd, covey, swarm, colony; chiefly of insects

Declension

Declension of Volk

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	das	Volk	die	Völker
genitive	eines	des	Volkes, Volks	der	Völker
dative	einem	dem	Volk, Volke1	den	Völkern
accusative	ein	das	Volk	die	Völker

¹Now uncommon, see notes

Derived terms

• bevölkern
• Bevölkerung
• Umvolkung f
• völkisch
• Volksabstimmung f
• Volksaufstand m
• Volksetymologie f
• Volksgarten m
• Volksherrschaft f
• Volksmusik f
• Volkspolizei f
• Volksverdummung f
• Volksverhetzung f
• Volksverräter m
• Volkswagen m
• Volkszugehörigkeit f

 

Related terms

• Pulk

See also

• Leute
• Mensch
• Nation

Further reading

• Volk in Duden online

---

Pennsylvania German

Etymology

Compare German Volk, Dutch volk, English folk.

Noun

Volk n

1. people, folk

---

Slovene

Proper noun

Volk

1. A surname​.