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.
The truth is most Irish people had never heard the term Irish exit until recently, says Dr. Kelly Fitzgerald at the School of Irish, Celtic Studies, and Folklore at University College Dublin.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026
Like Portman, New York-based musician, producer and songwriter Josh Kaufman, who played on Taylor Swift's Folklore album, was alerted to fake new material by his listeners.
From BBC • Aug. 22, 2025
Swift has been a godmother to Lively's three daughters, James, Inez and Betty, and used their names as inspiration for the love triangle narrative of "Folklore."
From Salon • Jun. 6, 2025
In her lawsuit, Marasco alleges that Swift copied her poetry when writing her albums Lover, Folklore, Midnights, and The Tortured Poets Department.
From Slate • Dec. 21, 2024
On the anthropinizing or the distinctly euhemerizing treatment of these two personages see Rhys, Celtic Folklore, Index, s.vv.
From Introduction to the History of Religions Handbooks on the History of Religions, Volume IV by Jastrow, Morris
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.
