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Added 10 October 2026

folio

/ˈfəʊlɪəʊ/ noun

Latin root: foliō Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about folio at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

The system of numbering pages.
A sheet of any written or printed material (especially in a manuscript or book).
A book (or manuscript) consisting of large sheets of paper folded in the middle to make two leaves or four pages.
the first folio of Shakespeare's plays

Origin

From Middle English folio (“leaf of a book”), borrowed from Medieval Latin foliō, Late Latin foliō, Latin foliō, the ablative singular form of Late Latin folium (“leaf or sheet of paper”), Latin folium (“leaf of a plant”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₃- (“bloom, flower”). Doublet of foil and folium, and distantly related to phyllo and phyllon. Senses 1, 2, 3.1, 5, and 6 relating to a leaf or page are derived from Medieval Latin foliō in references; sense 5 (“page in an account book”) may be derived from Italian foglio (“rectangular sheet of paper”), from Latin folium. Senses 3.2 and 3.3 relating to a paper size are from Italian in foglio or its etymon Latin in foliō.

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

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