noun / adjective
folk
FOHK/fəʊk/
Ordinary people sharing a community and its traditions.
Local folk chat beside the public bench in their neighborhood.
Etymology
Old English folc already named people collectively, including a nation or the common people. The modern sense preserves that view of people as a community rather than as separate individuals.
In context
they were not as big as the Grown Folk she had always been used to but neither were they very small
More examples
- The folks next door invite us over for dinner.
- My grandmother teaches us the folk dances of her hometown.
- She sings folk songs that her family has known for generations.
Forms
folk · folks
folksy adjective — Informal and friendly in a down-to-earth way.
Similar words
- people
- More general; does not suggest shared customs or community ties.
- community
- Emphasizes a connected group rather than its ordinary members.
- traditional
- Describes inherited customs without specifically tying them to ordinary people.