folklore

[fohk-lawr, -lohr]

noun

1. the traditional beliefs, legends, customs, etc., of a people; lore of a people.

2. the study of such lore.

3. a body of widely held but false or unsubstantiated beliefs.

folklore

/ ˈfəʊkˌlɔː /

noun

1. the unwritten literature of a people as expressed in folk tales, proverbs, riddles, songs, etc

2. the body of stories and legends attached to a particular place, group, activity, etc

   Hollywood folklore

   rugby folklore

3. the anthropological discipline concerned with the study of folkloric materials

folklore

1. Traditional stories and legends, transmitted orally (rather than in writing) from generation to generation. The stories of Paul Bunyan are examples of American folklore.

Other Word Forms

• folklorist noun
• folkloristic adjective
• folkloric adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of folklore¹

1846; folk + lore ¹; coined by English scholar and antiquary William John Thoms (1803–85)

Example Sentences

Two came the following day - Cook and Jonny Bairstow - but it was the wicket Agar did not take that has a place in Ashes folklore.

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Faribault Mill, one of the last vertical wool and cotton mills in the country, partnered with Anishinaabe artist Madison Rae Holler to create a series of blankets honoring traditional folklore and storytelling.

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Having etched his name into Republic of Ireland folklore, Troy Parrott let the tears flow.

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For Mr Crory, tales of puffins once breeding on the Isle of Muck "felt more like folklore", but the myth is now becoming a reality.

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Even if things hadn't gone to script on Sunday - or at any stage during his interim tenure - his place in club folklore is fixed.

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Related Words

• custom 
• fable 
• legend 
• myth 
• mythology 
• superstition 
• tradition 
• wisdom