folklore

American  

[fohk-lawr, -lohr] / ˈfoʊkˌlɔr, -ˌloʊr /

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.

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folklore British  

/ 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

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folklore Cultural  

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.

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Other Word Forms

• folkloric adjective
• folklorist noun
• folkloristic adjective

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.

Example Sentences

Today many of us are as likely to be disorientated by his fondness for folklore and myth, his assumptions about religion and social order, and his immersion in the conventions of Elizabethan and Jacobean theater.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026

Historically known as 'an Gabhar Fiáin' -- the wild goat -- the Old Irish Goat occupies a unique place in Irish folklore.

From Science Daily • Feb. 26, 2026

"This is a self-reliant character who outwits those trying to exploit her with silent grit and steely determination. Momin slipped into this feminist folklore with quiet understanding."

From BBC • Feb. 7, 2026

The Super Bowl indicator, a decades-old piece of Wall Street folklore, might be the worst form of prediction, but it’s weirdly one of the most accurate.

From Barron's • Feb. 7, 2026

I realize how different and creepy a lot of Mexican folklore is.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera

Related Words

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