Folding

How to spell folding

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce folding

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does folding mean?

1. adjectiveDesigned with hinges or creases so it can be flattened or collapsed for storage or carrying.
2. verbThe act of bending cloth, paper, or other material over on itself.

Folding in a sentence

• adjective

  They packed a folding chair for the camping trip.

• verb

  Folding the laundry took her most of the evening.

• adjective

  The office stored a folding table behind the cupboard.

• verb

  Careful folding kept the map from tearing along the creases.

Where does folding come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

The base verb 'fold' descends from the Old English fealdan, meaning 'to bend something over on itself' or 'to wrap up'. This came from a shared Germanic root, seen also in the Old Norse falda and the German falten, all carrying the same idea of doubling cloth or material back upon itself. The '-ing' ending is the familiar native English suffix that turns the verb into a participle, a gerund, or an adjective, so 'folding' simply describes the act or the capacity to fold. By the medieval period the verb had broadened from cloth and clothing to paper, maps, and hinged furniture, which is how we arrive at the modern 'folding chair'. Because the word is built entirely from plain Old English parts, it has kept a regular, phonetic spelling, with no silent letters or borrowed quirks to trip up a writer.

How the word is built

• fold (Old English fealdan: to bend over on itself)
• -ing (forms gerund, participle, and adjective)