folklore
Americannoun
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the traditional beliefs, legends, customs, etc., of a people; lore of a people.
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the study of such lore.
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a body of widely held but false or unsubstantiated beliefs.
noun
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the unwritten literature of a people as expressed in folk tales, proverbs, riddles, songs, etc
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the body of stories and legends attached to a particular place, group, activity, etc
Hollywood folklore
rugby folklore
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the anthropological discipline concerned with the study of folkloric materials
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of folklore
1846; folk + lore 1; coined by English scholar and antiquary William John Thoms (1803–85)
Explanation
Stories, customs, and beliefs that are passed from one generation to the next are called folklore. According to folklore, you shouldn't take rocks from the volcanoes in Hawaii because Pele, the volcano goddess, will be angry and curse you. Folklore is a combination of the words folk and lore which dates from 1846. The former refers to a community of people, and the latter comes from the Old English lar, meaning learning or knowledge. Folk, in this sense, is also used in terms like folk music, folk dance, and folktale. Although traditionally folklore is passed along by word of mouth, in the modern era much folklore is being collected on the Internet.
Vocabulary lists containing folklore
Literary Genres - Introductory
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Reading: Literature - Literary Genres - Introductory
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Literary Genres - Advanced
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A particularly intriguing chapter in Hill's back story is her link to one of the most famous episodes in UFO folklore.
From Barron's • May 29, 2026
The Victorian-era HMS Erebus, built in Pembroke Dock in 1826, became part of nautical folklore after it vanished in the mid-19th Century.
From BBC • May 26, 2026
Its notoriously long waiting lists - often stretching across decades - became part of city folklore, while critics saw the club as a symbol of influence shaped by personal networks and family legacy.
From BBC • May 25, 2026
She was alive to folklore that told of fairies and elves and the lingering dead.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
Our literature, our films, our drama, our folklore all exalt it.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
