Folk
/foʊk/noun
People in general; a group sharing a common culture, region, or identity.
Did you know?In Old English, *folc* could mean a body of people, an army, or a nation — so the word we use for “ordinary people” once carried the weight of collective power.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pleh₂-
“to fill; to be full”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*fulką
“people, tribe, army”
Old English
English
folc
“people, nation, army”
Middle English
English
folk
“people, common people, nation”
Modern English
English
folk
“people; members of a community, especially ordinary people”
Explore more surprising origins