folklore

[fohk-lawr, -lohr] /ˈfoʊkˌlɔr, -ˌloʊr/
noun
1.
the traditional beliefs, legends, customs, etc., of a people; lore of a people.
2.
the study of such lore.
3.
a body of widely held but false or unsubstantiated beliefs.
Origin
1846; folk + lore; coined by English scholar and antiquary William John Thoms (1803-85)
Related forms
folklorist, noun
folkloristic, adjective
Examples from the web for folklore
  • The impact can be so devastating that local folklore is full of tales about this natural cyclical event.
  • folklore always knew this: wicked stepfathers have been a staple of fairy-tales since time immemorial.
  • The story of the carrot and the stick is part of the folklore of the horse-and-buggy era.
  • Students read folklore and myths about vampires from around the world, as.
  • In folklore unlucky souls are said to transform into werewolves under its influence.
  • Throughout history, truffles have appeared on the menu and in folklore.
  • Part of the folklore surrounding polio was that able and intelligent people were especially susceptible.
  • It is based on folklore and anecdotal information, rather than on scientific studies.
  • In contrast, vampires of folklore cut a pathetic figure and were also known as the undead.
  • In particular, it is well recognized as having one of the top folklore departments in the world.
British Dictionary definitions for folklore

folklore

/ˈfəʊkˌlɔː/
noun
1.
the unwritten literature of a people as expressed in folk tales, proverbs, riddles, songs, etc
2.
the body of stories and legends attached to a particular place, group, activity, etc: Hollywood folklore, rugby folklore
3.
the anthropological discipline concerned with the study of folkloric materials
Derived Forms
folkloric, adjective
folklorist, noun, adjective
folkloristic, adjective
Word Origin and History for folklore
n.

1846, coined by antiquarian William J. Thoms (1803-1885) as an Anglo-Saxonism (replacing popular antiquities) and first published in the "Athenaeum" of Aug. 22, 1846, from folk + lore. Old English folclar meant "homily."

This word revived folk in a modern sense of "of the common people, whose culture is handed down orally," and opened up a flood of compound formations, e.g. folk art (1892), folk-hero (1874), folk-medicine (1877), folk-tale/folk tale (1850; Old English folctalu meant "genealogy"), folk-song (1847), folk singer (1876), folk-dance (1877).

folklore in Culture

folklore definition


Traditional stories and legends, transmitted orally (rather than in writing) from generation to generation. The stories of Paul Bunyan are examples of American folklore.