Fold

How to spell fold

4 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce fold

What does fold mean?

1. verbTo bend something so that one part lies over another.
2. nounA part of something laid or doubled over another part; a crease or pleat.
3. nounAn enclosure or pen for sheep, or by extension a flock or group of people.

Fold in a sentence

• verb

  She likes to fold the laundry as soon as it comes out of the dryer.

• noun

  A deep fold in the curtain hid the small tear from view.

• noun

  The shepherd drove the flock back into the fold before nightfall.

• verb

  Remember to fold the letter neatly before sealing the envelope.

• noun

  He tucked the receipt into a fold of his wallet.

• noun

  After years away, she was welcomed back into the fold of the family business.

Where does fold come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This is a thoroughly native English word, descending from the Old English verb fealdan, which meant to bend something back over itself. It traces further to a reconstructed Germanic root that also produced the German falten and the Dutch vouwen, all carrying the same idea of laying one part against another. The noun sense meaning a pen for sheep comes from a separate but equally old Old English word, falod or fald, an enclosure for animals, which is why English ended up with two unrelated 'folds' that happen to look identical. Over the centuries the bending sense broadened into figurative uses, such as a business that 'folds' or collapses, and the multiplying suffix in words like 'tenfold' grew from the same root, where folding a thing doubled it. The spelling has stayed remarkably stable, with the single 'o' giving the long vowel and no silent traps, which is part of why it is one of the easier everyday words to write.

How the word is built

• fold (from Old English fealdan: to bend over on itself)