NYT Dictionary

FOLK

/foʊk/
NounAdjectiveFOHKGrade 6

Accepted in official NYT Spelling Bee puzzle years: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2024, 2025

Meaning

A people; a tribe or nation; the inhabitants of a region, especially the native inhabitants.

Etymology

Origin: Old English

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 Saterland Frisian Foulk, West Frisian folk, Dutch volk, German Low German and German Volk, Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish folk, Faroese and Icelandic fólk. Doublet of volk.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

folkstribefamilykinfolkkinsfolkseptphratryacknowledgedadmittedblood

NYT Puzzle Appearances

Accepted in 2 recorded puzzles:

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