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

Fascinated by folklore, he also published an award-winning translation of Beowulf.

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During this time, many were considered cursed by the devil in Alpine folklore, their advances linked to spiritual forces as they threatened hamlets and farmland.

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Water as the final pathway to death is baked into Japanese folklore, which tells of the Sanzu River where a soul must pay money to cross into the afterlife.

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Staged in the early hours of the morning to suit American TV, the atmosphere inside the venue belongs in British sporting folklore.

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"I want to tell stories about our places and histories, our proverbs, folklore and poetry," he says.

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Related Words

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