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folklore

Pronunciation: /ˈfəʊk.lɔː/

The English word “folklore” has 3 meanings listed here.

noun

  1. The tales, legends, superstitions, and traditions of a particular ethnic population.
  2. The tales, superstitions etc. of any particular group or community.
  3. The collective of proofs or techniques which are widely known among mathematicians, but have never been formally published.

Etymology

From folk + lore, coined by British writer William Thoms in 1846 to replace terms such as "popular antiquities". Thoms imitated German terms such as Volklehre (“people's customs”) and Volksüberlieferung (“popular tradition”). Compare also Old English folclar (“popular instruction; homily”) and West Frisian folkloare (“folklore”).

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