folklore
/ˈfoʊk.lɔːɹ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.49 in modern English
15
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The tales, legends, superstitions, and traditions of a particular ethnic population.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
The collective of proofs or techniques which are widely known among mathematicians, but have never been formally published.
Countable; Slang; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "[T]here is no true American music but the wild sweet melodies of the Negro slave; the American fairy tales and folk-lore are Indian and African; and, all in all, we black men seem the sole oasis of simple faith and reverence in a dusty desert of dollars and smartness."
- "Why has not England a great mythology? Our folklore has never advanced beyond daintiness, and the greater melodies about our country-side have all issued through the pipes of Greece."
- "“Lisieux is a little town in Normandy,” she said. “I was there a few days with your father, one summer, long ago. It’s a country full of old stories, folklore, and traditions; and the people still believe in the Old Scratch pretty literally. […]”"
- "Crossing the ridge she stood at last upon the brink of Kor-ul-GRYF—the horror place of the folklore of her race."
- "A selection of longer items of hacker folklore and humor is included in Appendix A, Hacker Folklore."
- "Foxes boss Rodgers had a smile that illuminated Wembley as he joined Leicester's players in joyous scenes of celebration after the manager and his players had written their name into the club's folklore."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *fulkazder. Proto-Germanic *fulką Proto-West Germanic *folk Old English folc Middle English folk English folk Proto-Indo-European *leys- Proto-Indo-European *(le-)lóys-e Proto-Germanic *lizaną Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti Proto-Germanic *-janą Proto-Germanic *laizijaną Proto-Germanic *laizō Proto-West Germanic *laiʀu Old English lār Middle English lore English lore English folklore From folk + lore, coined by British writer William Thoms in 1846 to replace terms such as "popular antiquities". Thoms imitated German terms such as Volklehre (“people's customs”) and Volksüberlieferung (“popular tradition”). Compare also Old English folclar (“popular instruction; homily”) and West Frisian folkloare (“folklore”).
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈfoʊk.lɔːɹ/
- British English: /ˈfəʊk.lɔː/