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follis

American  
[fol-is] / ˈfɒl ɪs /

noun

plural

folles

  1. a bag of copper or bronze coins with a fixed weight, used as money of account in the later Roman Empire.

  2. a silver-plated copper coin of ancient Rome, first issued by Diocletian.

  3. a copper coin of the Eastern Roman Empire, a.d. c500.

Etymology

Origin of follis

1880–85; < Late Latin; compare Latin follis bag, purse

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 real Roman football was played with the inflated follis, which was kicked from side to side over boundaries, and thus must have closely resembled the modern Association game.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 5 "Fleury, Claude" to "Foraker" by Various

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.