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Added 7 October 2026

fold

/ˈfəʊld/ verb

In Latin: plicō Wiktionary

verb Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about fold at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

To bend (any thin material, such as paper) over so that it comes in contact with itself.
Next, fold the paper over, so the right half is on top of the left half.
To make the proper arrangement (in a thin material) by bending.
If you fold the sheets, they'll fit more easily in the drawer.
To draw or coil (one’s arms, a snake’s body, etc.) around something so as to enclose or embrace it.

noun

An act of folding.
give the bedsheets a fold before putting them in the cupboard.
Any correct move in origami.
That which is folded together, or which enfolds or envelops. A bend or crease.

noun

A pen or enclosure for sheep or other domestic animals.
Any enclosed piece of land belonging to a farm or mill; yard, farmyard.
An enclosure or dwelling generally.

verb

To confine (animals) in a fold, to pen in.
To include in a spiritual ‘flock’ or group of the saved, etc.
To place sheep on (a piece of land) in order to manure it.

Origin

The verb is from Middle English folden, from Old English fealdan, from Proto-West Germanic *falþan, from Proto-Germanic *falþaną (“to fold”), from Proto-Indo-European *pel- (“to fold”). Cognate with Dutch vouwen, German falten. The noun is from Middle English folde, falde, itself derived from the verb.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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