folk

The word “folk” means belonging to or originating from ordinary people, their traditions, and their culture, rather than experts or elites. In plain terms, relating to ordinary people and their traditions, or the music genre built on those traditions.

“Folk” is pronounced fohk (/foʊk/ in IPA).

Here is “folk” used in a sentence: “The museum displayed a collection of folk art from the region.”

Depending on how it is used, “folk” can be an adjective and a noun.

The word “folk” comes from Old English. From Old English folc ("people, nation"), an ancient Germanic word related to German Volk and Dutch volk.

“Folk” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

“Folk” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: belonging to or originating from ordinary people, their traditions, and their culture, rather than experts or elites.

'Folk' can mean people in general or refer to ordinary people's traditions and culture. 'Folks' is an informal plural often used to mean people collectively or, in some regions, one's family or parents. 'Folk' is also used uncountably, as in 'country folk'.

Folk music is a genre of traditional or traditionally styled music, often acoustic and rooted in a particular culture. It typically draws on the customs and everyday life of ordinary people rather than formal, classical, or elite traditions.

Both can refer to human beings collectively, but 'folk' carries a warmer, more traditional or homely flavour and often appears in fixed phrases like 'town folk' or 'old folk'. 'People' is the neutral, everyday word suitable for any register.

As an adjective, 'folk' means belonging to or originating from ordinary people and their traditions rather than experts or elites. This gives phrases such as folk tale, folk remedy, folk dance, and folk art.