fole

See also: føle and fölé

Albanian

Etymology

From Proto-Albanian *spālai, from Proto-Indo-European *spel (“to cleave, break”). Related to fyell and fell. Compare Greek φωλιά (foliá, “leaf”), from Ancient Greek φωλέα (phōléa).

Noun

fole f (plural fole, definite foleja, definite plural foletë)

1. nest (mainly of birds)

Related terms

• fyell
• fell

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Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old French fol, from Latin follis.

Alternative forms

• foul, fol, fool, fule, ffuyll, foole, ffoole

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /foːl/

Noun

fole (plural foles)

2. A fool, idiot, or moron; somebody who is stupid or unthinking.
3. An entertainer or joker; somebody who is employed to provide amusement.
4. (rare) Someone who is incapacitated or shocked; someone whose idiocy is temporary.
5. (rare) A victim of a scam or trick; someone who is fooled.

Derived terms

• folen
• folisch
• folliche
• folye

Descendants

• English: fool
• Scots: fule, fuil

References

• “fọ̄l (n.)”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-07-17.

Adjective

fole

2. Foolish, moronic, idiotic, ridiculous.
3. Evil, iniquitous, malign, devilish.
4. Sexually deviant, immoral or sinful.

Descendants

• Scots: fule, fuil

References

• “fọ̄l (adj.)”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-07-17.

Etymology 2

From Old English fola, from Proto-Germanic *fulô.

Alternative forms

• fool, foole, ffoole, fowle, foale

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfɔːl(ə)/

Noun

fole (plural foles)

2. A foal (a young horse).
3. A horse regardless of its age.
4. The young of any other mammal, including the human being.

Descendants

• English: foal
• Scots: fole, foill

References

• “fōle (n.)”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-07-17.

Etymology 3

From fole (noun).

Verb

fole

2. Alternative form of folen (“to foal”)
3. inflection of folen (“to foal”):
   1. first-person singular present indicative
   2. first/second/third-person singular present subjunctive

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Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

From Old Norse foli.

Noun

fole m (definite singular folen, indefinite plural foler, definite plural folene)

1. a foal (colt or filly)

Synonyms

• føll

Etymology 2

From Old Norse fola.

Verb

fole

1. to foal (give birth to a foal)

References

• “fole” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

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Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

From Old Norse foli.

Noun

fole m (definite singular folen, indefinite plural folar, definite plural folane)

1. a foal (colt or filly)

Synonyms

• føl

Etymology 2

From Old Norse fola.

Alternative forms

• fola

Verb

fole

1. to foal (give birth to a foal)

References

• “fole” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

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Portuguese

Etymology

From Latin follis, follem, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰolǵʰnis, derivative of *bʰelǵʰ- (“to swell”).

Noun

fole m (plural foles)

1. bellows (flexible container used to blow air)

Derived terms

• gaita de foles