folk

See also: Folk and fólk

English

Alternative forms

vok, volk, volge, volke (dialectal)

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Germanic *fulkazder.

Proto-Germanic *fulką

Proto-West Germanic *folk

Old English folc

Middle English folk

English folk

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

Cognate with German Volk, Dutch volk, Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish folk, Icelandic fólk. Doublet of volk.

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /fəʊk/
(General American) IPA^(key): /foʊk/, (nonstandard) /foʊlk/
Audio (US): (file)
Rhymes: -əʊk, -əʊlk

Noun

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) Ellipsis of 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

inhabitants of a region

Armenian: ժողովուրդ (hy) (žoġovurd)
Belarusian: наро́д (be) m (naród)
Dutch: volk (nl) n
French: peuple (fr) m
Frisian:
West Frisian: folk
Galician: pobo (gl) m, xente (gl) f, grei (gl) f
Gaulish: touta
Georgian: ერი (eri)
German: Volk (de)
Hungarian: nép (hu)
Italian: gente (it) f, autoctono (it), popolo (it) m, abitante (it) m
Latin: populus (la), habitans, vivens (la)
Middle English: folk
Norwegian: folk (no) n, befolkning (no) m or f
Old English: folc (ang)
Old Saxon: folk
Plautdietsch: Volkj (nds) n
Polish: lud (pl) m
Portuguese: povo (pt) m
Russian: наро́д (ru) m (naród)
Scots: fowk
Spanish: pueblo (es), gente (es)
Swedish: folk (sv) n
Turkish: halk (tr), ulus (tr), millet (tr)
Ukrainian: наро́д (uk) (naród)
Woiwurrung: koolinjerrk

Adjective

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 or ideologically correct or rigorous.
folk psychology; folk linguistics
- 2025 April 28, Ross Douthat, Nick Adams, “Condition of America”, in New Left Review‎^[1], number 152, →ISSN:
  Americans are not libertarians in the Cato Institute sense of the word, but they are folk libertarians in this sense of impulsive behaviour, which is a feature of American life that anyone who wants to govern the United States, Democratic or Republican, has to be aware of.

Derived terms

Translations

of or related to local building materials and styles; not imported — see also vernacular

Arabic: شَعْبِيّ (šaʕbiyy)
Armenian: ժողովրդական (hy) (žoġovrdakan)
Belarusian: наро́дны (be) (naródny)
Bulgarian: наро́ден (bg) (naróden)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 民 (zh) (mín)
Czech: lidový (cs)
French: populaire (fr)
German: Volks- (de)
Hungarian: nép- (hu), népi (hu), népies (hu)
Macedonian: народен (naroden)
Polish: ludowy (pl)
Russian: наро́дный (ru) (naródnyj)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: на́роднӣ

Latin: národnī (sh)
Slovak: ľudový (sk)
Slovene: ljȗdski
Ukrainian: наро́дний (naródnyj)
Vietnamese: dân (vi)

believed or transmitted by the common people; not academically correct or rigorous

Hungarian: népi (hu)
Polish: ludowy (pl), zwyczajowy (pl), popularny (pl)
Russian: наро́дный (ru) (naródnyj)

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)

people, persons
Der var mange folk på torvet.
There were many people on the plaza.
one, people
Folk ved ikke hvor meget deres hamstre er værd.
People don't know how much their hamsters are worth.
(countable) a people, a nation (not necessarily politically or geographically united)
crew

Declension

Declension of *folk*
neuter gender	singular		plural
neuter gender	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	folk	folket	folk	folkene
genitive	folks	folkets	folks	folkenes

Synonyms

(nation): folkeslag, nation

Derived terms

hoffolk

Etymology 2

From English folk (“folk music”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ˈfɔwɡ̊]

Noun

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

(music) folk music (contemporary music in the style of traditional folk music)
Coordinate terms: folkemusik, protestsang

Declension

Declension of *folk*
common gender	singular
common gender	indefinite	definite
nominative	folk	folken
genitive	folks	folkens

Finnish

Alternative forms

folkki

Etymology

From English folk.

Pronunciation

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

Noun

folk

(music) folk, folk music

Declension

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
accusative	gen.	folkin	folkit
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.

Possessive forms of folk (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor
		singular	plural
nominative		folkini	folkini
accusative	nom.	folkini	folkini
accusative	gen.	folkini	folkini
genitive		folkini	folkieni
partitive		folkiani	folkejani
inessive		folkissani	folkeissani
elative		folkistani	folkeistani
illative		folkiini	folkeihini
adessive		folkillani	folkeillani
ablative		folkiltani	folkeiltani
allative		folkilleni	folkeilleni
essive		folkinani	folkeinani
translative		folkikseni	folkeikseni
abessive		folkittani	folkeittani
instructive		—	—
comitative		—	folkeineni

second-person singular possessor
		singular	plural
nominative		folkisi	folkisi
accusative	nom.	folkisi	folkisi
accusative	gen.	folkisi	folkisi
genitive		folkisi	folkiesi
partitive		folkiasi	folkejasi
inessive		folkissasi	folkeissasi
elative		folkistasi	folkeistasi
illative		folkiisi	folkeihisi
adessive		folkillasi	folkeillasi
ablative		folkiltasi	folkeiltasi
allative		folkillesi	folkeillesi
essive		folkinasi	folkeinasi
translative		folkiksesi	folkeiksesi
abessive		folkittasi	folkeittasi
instructive		—	—
comitative		—	folkeinesi

first-person plural possessor
		singular	plural
nominative		folkimme	folkimme
accusative	nom.	folkimme	folkimme
accusative	gen.	folkimme	folkimme
genitive		folkimme	folkiemme
partitive		folkiamme	folkejamme
inessive		folkissamme	folkeissamme
elative		folkistamme	folkeistamme
illative		folkiimme	folkeihimme
adessive		folkillamme	folkeillamme
ablative		folkiltamme	folkeiltamme
allative		folkillemme	folkeillemme
essive		folkinamme	folkeinamme
translative		folkiksemme	folkeiksemme
abessive		folkittamme	folkeittamme
instructive		—	—
comitative		—	folkeinemme

second-person plural possessor
		singular	plural
nominative		folkinne	folkinne
accusative	nom.	folkinne	folkinne
accusative	gen.	folkinne	folkinne
genitive		folkinne	folkienne
partitive		folkianne	folkejanne
inessive		folkissanne	folkeissanne
elative		folkistanne	folkeistanne
illative		folkiinne	folkeihinne
adessive		folkillanne	folkeillanne
ablative		folkiltanne	folkeiltanne
allative		folkillenne	folkeillenne
essive		folkinanne	folkeinanne
translative		folkiksenne	folkeiksenne
abessive		folkittanne	folkeittanne
instructive		—	—
comitative		—	folkeinenne

third-person possessor
		singular	plural
nominative		folkinsa	folkinsa
accusative	nom.	folkinsa	folkinsa
accusative	gen.	folkinsa	folkinsa
genitive		folkinsa	folkiensa
partitive		folkiaan folkiansa	folkejaan folkejansa
inessive		folkissaan folkissansa	folkeissaan folkeissansa
elative		folkistaan folkistansa	folkeistaan folkeistansa
illative		folkiinsa	folkeihinsa
adessive		folkillaan folkillansa	folkeillaan folkeillansa
ablative		folkiltaan folkiltansa	folkeiltaan folkeiltansa
allative		folkilleen folkillensa	folkeilleen folkeillensa
essive		folkinaan folkinansa	folkeinaan folkeinansa
translative		folkikseen folkiksensa	folkeikseen folkeiksensa
abessive		folkittaan folkittansa	folkeittaan folkeittansa
instructive		—	—
comitative		—	folkeineen folkeinensa

Derived terms

compounds

French

Pronunciation

Audio (France (Vosges)): (file)

Noun

folk m or f (plural folks)

folk (folk music)

Middle English

Alternative forms

folc, folck, follc, volc (Early Middle English)
foolk, folke (Late Middle English)
fok, foke (Northern); volk (Kent or Southern)

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /fɔlk/

Noun

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.)‎^[3], published c. 1410, Apocalips 11:18, folio 121, recto, 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):
1. subjects, followers, comitatus
2. army, retinue (group of armed people)
3. gathering, parliament
family, kin, relatives
humankind, humanity; all people
(rare) creatures, beings

Usage notes

This noun may be either treated as a conventional singular noun (with folkes as a plural or an uncountable collective noun.

Related terms

Descendants

English: folk; folkes
Scots: fowk

References

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

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

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

Noun

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

(countable) a people, nation
(plural only or collective) people, folk

Usage notes

Sense 1 is countable. The difference from English is that the indefinite plural is unchanged in form: et folk > to folk (“a people > two peoples”).
Sense 2 can be plural as in English, but can also be construed as a collective singular: unge folk / ungt folk (“young people”). The latter may now be dated.

Derived terms

Related terms

References

“folk” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Alternative forms

fælk (Trøndelag, Solør)

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)

people
Folk er rare.
People are strange.

Det var mykje folk på festen.
There was a lot of people at the party.

Nordmennene er eit rart folk.
The Norwegians are a strange people.

Derived terms

Related terms

Male given names:

Female given names:

Folka

References

“folk” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old Frisian

Alternative forms

fulk,

Etymology

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

Noun

folk n

people, folk

Inflection

Declension of **folk** (neuter a-stem)
	singular	plural
nominative	folk	folk
accusative	folk	folk
genitive	folkes	folka
dative	folke	folkum, folkem

Descendants

North Frisian: följk
Saterland Frisian: Foulk
West Frisian: folk

Old High German

Alternative forms

folc, folch

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *folk

Noun

folk n

people, folk
troop; group of warriors

Declension

Declension of **folk** (neuter a-stem)
case	singular	plural
nominative	folk	folk
accusative	folk	folk
genitive	folkes	folko
dative	folke	folkum
instrumental	folku	—

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

troop, army
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

Declension of *folk* (strong a-stem)
neuter	singular		plural
neuter	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	folk	folkit	folk	folkin
accusative	folk	folkit	folk	folkin
dative	folki	folkinu	folkum	folkunum
genitive	folks	folksins	folka	folkanna

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

people, folk

Declension

**folk** (neuter a-stem)
	singular	plural
nominative	folk	folk
accusative	folk	folk
genitive	folkes	folkō
dative	folke	folkun
instrumental	—	—

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

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): /ˈfɔlk/
Audio: (file)
Rhymes: -ɔlk
Syllabification: folk

Noun

folk m inan

folk music (contemporary music in traditional style)

Declension

Declension of folk

	singular
nominative	folk
genitive	folku
dative	folkowi
accusative	folk
instrumental	folkiem
locative	folku
vocative	folku

Derived terms

adjective

foklowy

Related terms

adverb

foklowo

Portuguese

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Germanic *fulkazder.

Proto-Germanic *fulką

Proto-West Germanic *folk

Old English folc

Middle English folk

English folkubor.

Portuguese folk

Unadapted borrowing from English folk.

Pronunciation

(Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈfow.ki/ [ˈfoʊ̯.ki]
- (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈfow.ke/ [ˈfoʊ̯.ke]

(Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈfol.kɨ/ [ˈfoɫ.kɨ]

Noun

folk m (uncountable)

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

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from English folk.

Noun

folk n (uncountable)

folk music

Declension

singular only	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	folk	folkul
genitive-dative	folk	folkului
vocative	folkule

Scots

Noun

folk (plural folks)

alternative spelling of fowk

Spanish

Alternative forms

folco (adapted)

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Germanic *fulkazder.

Proto-Germanic *fulką

Proto-West Germanic *folk

Old English folc

Middle English folk

English folkbor.

Spanish folk

Borrowed from English folk.

Pronunciation

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

Noun

folk m (uncountable)

folk (music)

Swedish

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /fɔlːk/
Audio (Gotland); “ett folk”: (file)

Noun

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"]
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

Declension of **folk**
		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	folk	folks
singular	definite	folket	folkets
plural	indefinite	folk	folks
plural	definite	folken	folkens

Derived terms

References

“folk”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
“folk”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
“folk”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
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)

people, folk

Interjection

folk

call at the door if anyone's home

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Usage notes

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Adjective

Derived terms

Translations

Further reading

Danish

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

Noun

Declension

Synonyms

Derived terms

Further reading

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

Noun

Declension

See also

Finnish

Alternative forms

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Declension

Derived terms

Further reading

French

Pronunciation

Noun

Middle English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Usage notes

Related terms

Descendants

References

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

Noun

Usage notes

Derived terms

Related terms

References

Norwegian Nynorsk

Alternative forms

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Derived terms

Related terms

References

Old Frisian

Alternative forms

Etymology

Noun

Inflection

Descendants

Old High German

Alternative forms

Etymology

Noun

Declension

Descendants

Old Norse

Alternative forms

Etymology

Noun

Usage notes

Declension

Descendants