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
- 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)
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.
Malinin was among those in the crowd who gave Liu - the alt girl with her iconic halo hair and lip piercing - a standing ovation as she wrote herself into Olympic folklore.
From BBC
"What surprised us was how consistently historical texts -- from the Tang Dynasty onward -- described effects that align perfectly with today's understanding of hair biology. Modern studies now confirm that this isn't folklore; it's pharmacology."
From Science Daily
"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
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
His 51 goals in just over 120 appearances for the Phoenix -- which included Golden Boot honours and the award for the league's best player -- earned him a place in Pacific football folklore.
From Barron's
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.
