fold1

[fohld] /foʊld/
verb (used with object)
1.
to bend (cloth, paper, etc.) over upon itself.
2.
to bring into a compact form by bending and laying parts together (often followed by up):
to fold up a map; to fold one's legs under oneself.
3.
to bring (the arms, hands, etc.) together in an intertwined or crossed manner; clasp; cross:
He folded his arms on his chest.
4.
to bend or wind (usually followed by about, round, etc.):
to fold one's arms about a person's neck.
5.
to bring (the wings) close to the body, as a bird on alighting.
6.
to enclose; wrap; envelop:
to fold something in paper.
7.
to embrace or clasp; enfold:
to fold someone in one's arms.
8.
Cards. to place (one's cards) facedown so as to withdraw from the play.
9.
Informal. to bring to an end; close up:
The owner decided to fold the business and retire.
verb (used without object)
10.
to be folded or be capable of folding:
The doors fold back.
11.
Cards. to place one's cards facedown so as to withdraw from the play.
12.
Informal. to fail in business; be forced to close:
The newspaper folded after 76 years.
13.
Informal. to yield or give in:
Dad folded and said we could go after all.
noun
14.
a part that is folded; pleat; layer:
folds of cloth.
15.
a crease made by folding:
He cut the paper along the fold.
16.
a hollow made by folding:
to carry something in the fold of one's dress.
17.
a hollow place in undulating ground:
a fold of the mountains.
18.
Geology. a portion of strata that is folded or bent, as an anticline or syncline, or that connects two horizontal or parallel portions of strata of different levels (as a monocline).
19.
Journalism.
  1. the line formed along the horizontal center of a standard-sized newspaper when it is folded after printing.
  2. a rough-and-ready dividing line, especially on the front page and other principal pages, between stories of primary and lesser importance.
20.
a coil of a serpent, string, etc.
21.
the act of folding or doubling over.
22.
Anatomy. a margin or ridge formed by the folding of a membrane or other flat body part; plica.
Verb phrases
23.
fold in, Cookery. to mix in or add (an ingredient) by gently turning one part over another:
Fold in the egg whites.
24.
fold up, Informal.
  1. to break down; collapse:
    He folded up when the prosecutor discredited his story.
  2. to fail, especially to go out of business.
Origin
before 900; (v.) Middle English folden, falden, Old English faldan; cognate with G. falten; (v.) Middle English fald, derivative of the n.; akin to Latin plicāre to fold, plectere to plait, twine, Greek plékein; cf. -fold
Related forms
foldable, adjective

fold2

[fohld] /foʊld/
noun
1.
an enclosure for sheep or, occasionally, other domestic animals.
2.
the sheep kept within it.
3.
a flock of sheep.
4.
a church.
5.
the members of a church; congregation:
He preached to the fold.
6.
a group sharing common beliefs, values, etc.:
He rejoined the fold after his youthful escapade.
verb (used with object)
7.
to confine (sheep or other domestic animals) in a fold.
Origin
before 900; Middle English fold, fald, Old English fald, falod; akin to Old Saxon faled pen, enclosure, Middle Low German vālt pen, enclosure, manure heap, Middle Dutch vaelt, vaelde

-fold

1.
a native English suffix meaning “of so many parts,” or denoting multiplication by the number indicated by the stem or word to which the suffix is attached:
twofold; manifold.
Origin
Middle English; Old English -fald, -feald, cognate with Old Frisian, Old Saxon -fald, German -falt, Old Norse -faldr, Gothic -falths, all representing the Germanic base of fold1; akin to Greek -ploos, -plous (see haplo-, diplo-), Latin -plus (see simple, double, etc.), -plex -plex
Examples from the web for fold
  • fold and double seal edges of foil so the steam doesn't escape the packets.
  • fold the sides of the leaves over the fish, then roll to enclose.
  • fold gelatin mixture into stiffly beaten egg whites.
  • Lift one edge of the cookie and fold it so the cookie forms a semicircle.
  • To do their magic in the cell, proteins must fold into rigid shapes-or so standard wisdom says.
  • Four great fillings to fold up for dinner tonight.
  • Then fold it around again to line up with the other end.
  • fold in a small amount of whipped cream to lighten it, then fold in the remaining cream.
  • But colleges can't fold their arms in a huff and try to pull away from the problem.
  • Figuring out how they fold correctly is thus crucial to understanding biochemical processes, and to creating new drugs.
British Dictionary definitions for fold

fold1

/fəʊld/
verb
1.
to bend or be bent double so that one part covers another: to fold a sheet of paper
2.
(transitive) to bring together and intertwine (the arms, legs, etc): she folded her hands
3.
(transitive) (of birds, insects, etc) to close (the wings) together from an extended position
4.
(transitive; often foll by up or in) to enclose in or as if in a surrounding material
5.
(transitive) foll by in. to clasp (a person) in the arms
6.
(transitive) usually foll by round, about, etc. to wind (around); entwine
7.
(transitive) (poetic) to cover completely: night folded the earth
8.
(transitive) Also fold in. to mix (a whisked mixture) with other ingredients by gently turning one part over the other with a spoon
9.
to produce a bend (in stratified rock) or (of stratified rock) to display a bend
10.
(informal) (intransitive) often foll by up. to collapse; fail: the business folded
noun
11.
a piece or section that has been folded: a fold of cloth
12.
a mark, crease, or hollow made by folding
13.
a hollow in undulating terrain
14.
a bend in stratified rocks that results from movements within the earth's crust and produces such structures as anticlines and synclines
15.
(anatomy) another word for plica (sense 1)
16.
a coil, as in a rope, etc
17.
an act of folding
See also fold up
Derived Forms
foldable, adjective
Word Origin
Old English fealdan; related to Old Norse falda , Old High German faldan, Latin duplus double, Greek haploos simple

fold2

/fəʊld/
noun
1.
  1. a small enclosure or pen for sheep or other livestock, where they can be gathered
  2. the sheep or other livestock gathered in such an enclosure
  3. a flock of sheep
  4. a herd of Highland cattle
2.
a church or the members of it
3.
any group or community sharing a way of life or holding the same values
verb
4.
(transitive) to gather or confine (sheep or other livestock) in a fold
Word Origin
Old English falod; related to Old Saxon faled, Middle Dutch vaelt

-fold

suffix, suffix
1.
having so many parts, being so many times as much or as many, or multiplied by so much or so many: threefold, three-hundredfold
Word Origin
Old English -fald, -feald
Word Origin and History for fold
v.

Old English faldan (Mercian), fealdan (West Saxon), transitive, "to bend cloth back over itself," class VII strong verb (past tense feold, past participle fealden), from Proto-Germanic *falthan, *faldan (cf. Middle Dutch vouden, Dutch vouwen, Old Norse falda, Middle Low German volden, Old High German faldan, German falten, Gothic falþan).

The Germanic words are from PIE *pel-to- (cf. Sanskrit putah "fold, pocket," Albanian pale "fold," Middle Irish alt "a joint," Lithuanian pleta "I plait"), from root *pel- (3) "to fold" (cf. Greek ploos "fold," Latin -plus).

The weak form developed from 15c. In late Old English also of the arms. Intransitive sense, "become folded" is from c.1300 (of the body or limbs); earlier "give way, fail" (mid-13c.). Sense of "to yield to pressure" is from late 14c. Related: Folded; folding.

n.

"pen or enclosure for sheep or other domestic animals," Old English falæd, falud "stall, stable, cattle-pen," a general Germanic word (cf. East Frisian folt "enclosure, dunghill," Dutch vaalt "dunghill," Danish fold "pen for sheep"), of uncertain origin. Figurative use by mid-14c.

"a bend or ply in anything," mid-13c., from fold (v.).

-fold

multiplicative suffix, from Old English -feald, related to Old Norse -faldr; German -falt; Gothic falþs; Greek -paltos, -plos; Latin -plus, and to fold (v.). Crowded out in English by Latinate double, triple, etc., but still in manifold, hundredfold, etc.

fold in Medicine

fold 1 (fōld)
n.

  1. A crease or ridge apparently formed by folding, as of a membrane; a plica.

  2. In the embryo, a transient elevation or reduplication of tissue in the form of a lamina.

fold in Science
fold
  (fōld)   

A bend in a layer of rock or in another planar feature such as foliation or the cleavage of a mineral. Folds occur as the result of deformation, usually associated with plate-tectonic forces.
Slang definitions & phrases for fold

fold

verb
  1. To fail or close, esp in business or show business •The usual term earlier was fold up: If the club folds (1930s+)
  2. To collapse; surrender; give way; cave: After the President jawboned him unmercifully, the Senator folded (1250+)
  3. To drop out of a poker game, indicated by putting all one's cards face down on the table (1940s+ Poker)

fold in the Bible

an enclosure for flocks to rest together (Isa. 13:20). Sheep-folds are mentioned Num. 32:16, 24, 36; 2 Sam. 7:8; Zeph. 2:6; John 10:1, etc. It was prophesied of the cities of Ammon (Ezek. 25:5), Aroer (Isa. 17:2), and Judaea, that they would be folds or couching-places for flocks. "Among the pots," of the Authorized Version (Ps. 68:13), is rightly in the Revised Version, "among the sheepfolds."

Idioms and Phrases with fold

fold

also see:
return to the fold