fold

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• Received-Pronunciation: /ˈfəʊld/
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• Received-Pronunciation: [ˈfɒʊɫd]
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• /ˈfɒld/ doll–dole merger
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• British, Southern, Standard: /ˈfəwld/
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• British, Southern, Standard: [ˈfɔwɫd]
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• /ˈfɔld/ doll–dole merger
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• Canada, General-American: fōld
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• Canada, General-American: /foʊld/
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• General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• California: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• Australian: /fəʉld/
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• Australian: [fəʉɫd]
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• New-Zealand: /fɐʉld/
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• New-Zealand: [fɐʉɫd]
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• Scotland: /fold/
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• Wales: /fould/ without the toe–tow merger
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• homophone: foaled
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• rhymes with -əʊld
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• CMU ARPABET: F OW1 L D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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The verb is from Middle English folden, from Old English fealdan, from Proto-West Germanic *falþan, from Proto-Germanic *falþaną (“to fold”), from Proto-Indo-European *pel- (“to fold”). Cognate with Dutch vouwen, German falten. The noun is from Middle English folde, falde, itself derived from the verb.

The noun is from Middle English fold, fald, from Old English fald, falæd, falod (“fold, stall, stable, cattle-pen”), from Proto-West Germanic *falud, from Proto-Germanic *faludaz (“enclosure”). Akin to Scots fald, fauld (“an enclosure for livestock”), Dutch vaalt (“dung heap”), Middle Low German valt, vālt (“an inclosed space, a yard”), Danish fold (“pen for herbivorous livestock”), Swedish fålla (“corral, pen, pound”). The verb is from Late Middle English fooldyn, itself derived from the noun.

From Middle English folde, from Old English folde (“earth, land, country, district, region, territory, ground, soil, clay”), from Proto-Germanic *fuldǭ, *fuldō (“earth, ground; field; the world”). Cognate with Old Norse fold (“earth, land, field”), Norwegian and Icelandic fold (“land, earth, meadow”).

320 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Afrikaans: vou — act of folding
• Albanian: palë — act of folding
• Asturian: dobladura — act of folding
• Bulgarian: сгъване (sgǎvane) — act of folding
• Catalan: plegament — act of folding
• Esperanto: faldo — act of folding
• Finnish: taittelu — act of folding
• Finnish: taittaminen — act of folding
• French: pliage — act of folding
• Friulian: pleade — act of folding
• Friulian: pleadure — act of folding
• Galician: dobradura — act of folding
• German: Faltung — act of folding
• German: Falzung — act of folding
• German: Falten — act of folding
• Greek: δίπλωμα (díploma) — act of folding
• Hungarian: hajtás — act of folding
• Norwegian: bretting — act of folding
• Portuguese: dobradura — act of folding
• Russian: скла́дывание (skládyvanije) — act of folding
• Spanish: doblamiento — act of folding
• Spanish: plisado — act of folding
• Spanish: redoblamiento — act of folding
• Spanish: plegamiento — act of folding
• Swedish: vikning — act of folding
• Finnish: taitos — correct move in origami
• French: pli — correct move in origami
• German: Faltung — correct move in origami
• German: Faltmanöver — correct move in origami
• Portuguese: dobra — correct move in origami
• Afrikaans: vou — bend or crease
• Arabic: طَيَّة (ṭayya) — bend or crease
• Armenian: ծալք (calkʻ) — bend or crease
• Armenian: կնճիռ (knčiṙ) — bend or crease
• Asturian: dobladura — bend or crease
• Azerbaijani: büküm — bend or crease
• Bulgarian: гънка (gǎnka) — bend or crease
• Bulgarian: дипла (dipla) — bend or crease
• Bulgarian: сгънка (sgǎnka) — bend or crease
• Catalan: plec — bend or crease
• Catalan: séc — bend or crease
• Czech: záhyb — bend or crease
• Dutch: plooi — bend or crease
• Dutch: vouw — bend or crease
• Esperanto: faldo — bend or crease
• Finnish: taitos — bend or crease
• Finnish: poimu — bend or crease
• Finnish: taite — bend or crease
• French: pli — bend or crease
• French: pliure — bend or crease
• Friulian: plee — bend or crease
• Galician: dobradura — bend or crease
• Galician: pregadura — bend or crease
• German: Falz — bend or crease
• German: Falte — bend or crease
• Greek: πτυχή (ptychí) — bend or crease
• Ancient Greek: πτύξ (ptúx) — bend or crease
• Hungarian: ránc — bend or crease
• Hungarian: redő — bend or crease
• Hungarian: hajtás — bend or crease
• Indonesian: kedut — bend or crease
• Ingrian: poime — bend or crease
• Ingrian: poimu — bend or crease
• Irish: furca — bend or crease
• Italian: piega — bend or crease
• Māori: pukoru — bend or crease
• Māori: pori — bend or crease
• Māori: rehe — bend or crease
• Māori: pūkorukoru — bend or crease
• Old English: field — bend or crease
• Persian: تاه (tâh) — bend or crease
• Polish: fałda — bend or crease
• Portuguese: dobra — bend or crease
• Russian: скла́дка (skládka) — bend or crease
• Spanish: dobladura — bend or crease
• Spanish: pliegue — bend or crease
• Spanish: doblez — bend or crease
• Spanish: redobladura — bend or crease
• Spanish: plegadura — bend or crease
• Spanish: plisado — bend or crease
• Swedish: veck — bend or crease
• Tahitian: ʻapi — bend or crease
• Telugu: మడత (maḍata) — bend or crease
• Turkish: kat — bend or crease
• Ottoman Turkish: قات (kat) — bend or crease
• Ukrainian: скла́дка (skládka) — bend or crease
• Zazaki: qat (diq) — bend or crease
• Czech: vrása — (geology) bending of originally flat planar surfaces
• Finnish: poimu — (geology) bending of originally flat planar surfaces
• German: Falte — (geology) bending of originally flat planar surfaces
• Hungarian: gyűrődés — (geology) bending of originally flat planar surfaces
• Japanese: 褶曲 — (geology) bending of originally flat planar surfaces
• Ukrainian: скла́дка (skládka) — (geology) bending of originally flat planar surfaces
• Zazaki: qatman — (geology) bending of originally flat planar surfaces
• Azerbaijani: ağıl — enclosure for domestic animals
• Bulgarian: кошара (košara) — enclosure for domestic animals
• Finnish: karsina — enclosure for domestic animals
• French: parc à moutons — enclosure for domestic animals
• French: bergerie — enclosure for domestic animals
• German: Schafspferch — enclosure for domestic animals
• Greek: στάνη (stáni) — enclosure for domestic animals
• Greek: μαντρί (mantrí) — enclosure for domestic animals
• Ancient Greek: μάνδρα (mándra) — enclosure for domestic animals
• Ancient Greek: σηκός (sēkós) — enclosure for domestic animals
• Ingrian: karsina — enclosure for domestic animals
• Irish: mainnear — enclosure for domestic animals
• Norwegian Bokmål: fold — enclosure for domestic animals
• Old Turkic: 𐰍𐰞 (aɣïl) — enclosure for domestic animals
• Russian: коша́ра (košára) — enclosure for domestic animals
• Spanish: corral — enclosure for domestic animals
• Spanish: cerca — enclosure for domestic animals
• Spanish: aprisco — enclosure for domestic animals
• Spanish: redil — enclosure for domestic animals
• Swedish: fålla — enclosure for domestic animals
• Turkish: ağıl — enclosure for domestic animals
• Ottoman Turkish: آغل (ağıl) — enclosure for domestic animals
• Ottoman Turkish: ماندره (mandra) — enclosure for domestic animals
• Ukrainian: коша́ра (košára) — enclosure for domestic animals
• French: bercail — home, family
• German: Schoß — home, family
• Spanish: cuna — home, family
• Bulgarian: лоно (lono) — church or congregation
• Bulgarian: паство (pastvo) — church or congregation
• French: bercail — church or congregation
• French: sein de l’Église — church or congregation
• German: Gemeinde — church or congregation
• Greek: ποίμνιο (poímnio) — church or congregation
• Russian: па́ства (pástva) — church or congregation
• Afrikaans: vou — bend (thin material) over
• Albanian: palim — bend (thin material) over
• Southern Altai: бӱктеп ийер (büktep iyer) — bend (thin material) over
• Arabic: طَوَى (ṭawā) — bend (thin material) over
• Arabic: طَبَّق (ṭabbag) — bend (thin material) over
• Arabic: ثنى (tana) — bend (thin material) over
• Armenian: ծալել (calel) — bend (thin material) over
• Asturian: doblar — bend (thin material) over
• Asturian: plegar — bend (thin material) over
• Azerbaijani: bükmək — bend (thin material) over
• Azerbaijani: qatlamaq — bend (thin material) over
• Bulgarian: сгъвам (sgǎvam) — bend (thin material) over
• Bulgarian: сгъна pf прегъвам (sgǎna) — bend (thin material) over
• Bulgarian: прегъна (pregǎna) — bend (thin material) over
• Catalan: doblegar — bend (thin material) over
• Catalan: plegar — bend (thin material) over
• Chinese Cantonese: 摺 /折 (zip3) — bend (thin material) over
• Chinese Mandarin: 摺 /折 (zhé) — bend (thin material) over
• Chinese Mandarin: 折疊 /折叠 (zhédié) — bend (thin material) over
• Cornish: plegya — bend (thin material) over
• Czech: přeložit — bend (thin material) over
• Dutch: vouwen — bend (thin material) over
• Esperanto: faldi — bend (thin material) over
• Finnish: taittaa — bend (thin material) over
• French: plier — bend (thin material) over
• Friulian: pleâ — bend (thin material) over
• Galician: dobrar — bend (thin material) over
• Galician: pregar — bend (thin material) over
• Galician: encartar — bend (thin material) over
• German: falten — bend (thin material) over
• German: falzen — bend (thin material) over
• Greek: διπλώνω (diplóno) — bend (thin material) over
• Greek: πτύσσω (ptýsso) — bend (thin material) over
• Ancient Greek: πτύσσω (ptússō) — bend (thin material) over
• Hawaiian: ʻopi — bend (thin material) over
• Hindi: परत (parat) — bend (thin material) over
• Hungarian: hajt — bend (thin material) over
• Hungarian: összehajt — bend (thin material) over
• Icelandic: brjóta saman — bend (thin material) over
• Ido: faldar — bend (thin material) over
• Indonesian: lipat — bend (thin material) over
• Irish: fill — bend (thin material) over
• Italian: piegare — bend (thin material) over
• Japanese: 折る (oru) — bend (thin material) over
• Japanese: 畳む (tatamu) — bend (thin material) over
• Khmer: បត់ (bɑt) — bend (thin material) over
• Korean: 개다 (gaeda) — bend (thin material) over
• Korean: 접다 (jeopda) — bend (thin material) over
• Kumyk: бюкиек (bükiyek) — bend (thin material) over
• Central Kurdish: پێچان (pêçan) — bend (thin material) over
• Central Kurdish: قەدکردن (qedkirdin) — bend (thin material) over
• Northern Kurdish: çemandin — bend (thin material) over
• Northern Kurdish: tewandin — bend (thin material) over
• Latin: plicō — bend (thin material) over
• Lingala: kumba — bend (thin material) over
• Lithuanian: lankstyti — bend (thin material) over
• Malay: lipat — bend (thin material) over
• Māori: whakapeke — bend (thin material) over
• Māori: kōpakipaki — bend (thin material) over
• Māori: numi — bend (thin material) over
• Māori: whātui — bend (thin material) over
• Māori: whētui — bend (thin material) over
• Māori: whētuitui — bend (thin material) over
• Norwegian: brette — bend (thin material) over
• Norwegian Nynorsk: bretta — bend (thin material) over
• Occitan: plegar — bend (thin material) over
• Polish: składać — bend (thin material) over
• Polish: złożyć — bend (thin material) over
• Portuguese: dobrar — bend (thin material) over
• Rapa Nui: hatuhatu — bend (thin material) over
• Romanian: îndoi — bend (thin material) over
• Romanian: plia — bend (thin material) over
• Russian: перегиба́ть (peregibátʹ) — bend (thin material) over
• Russian: перегну́ть (peregnútʹ) — bend (thin material) over
• Russian: скла́дывать (skládyvatʹ) — bend (thin material) over
• Russian: сложи́ть (složítʹ) — bend (thin material) over
• Serbo-Croatian: савити — bend (thin material) over
• Serbo-Croatian: сложити — bend (thin material) over
• Serbo-Croatian: saviti — bend (thin material) over
• Serbo-Croatian: složiti — bend (thin material) over
• Sicilian: chicari — bend (thin material) over
• Somali: laabid — bend (thin material) over
• Spanish: plegar — bend (thin material) over
• Spanish: doblar — bend (thin material) over
• Swedish: vika — bend (thin material) over
• Telugu: మడచు (maḍacu) — bend (thin material) over
• Telugu: మడతపెట్టు (maḍatapeṭṭu) — bend (thin material) over
• Thai: พับ (páp) — bend (thin material) over
• Turkish: katlamak — bend (thin material) over
• Ottoman Turkish: بوكمك (bükmek) — bend (thin material) over
• Ottoman Turkish: قیرمق (kırmak) — bend (thin material) over
• Vietnamese: gấp — bend (thin material) over
• Vietnamese: gập — bend (thin material) over
• Welsh: plygu — bend (thin material) over
• Zazaki: qat kerden — bend (thin material) over
• Zazaki: pêser kerden — bend (thin material) over
• Afrikaans: vou — make the proper arrangement (in a thin material) by bending
• Albanian: palos — make the proper arrangement (in a thin material) by bending
• Bulgarian: сгъвам (sgǎvam) — make the proper arrangement (in a thin material) by bending
• Bulgarian: сгъна (sgǎna) — make the proper arrangement (in a thin material) by bending
• Dutch: plooien — make the proper arrangement (in a thin material) by bending
• Esperanto: faldi — make the proper arrangement (in a thin material) by bending
• Finnish: taitella — make the proper arrangement (in a thin material) by bending
• Finnish: viikata — make the proper arrangement (in a thin material) by bending
• Finnish: laskostaa — make the proper arrangement (in a thin material) by bending
• French: plier — make the proper arrangement (in a thin material) by bending
• German: zusammenlegen — make the proper arrangement (in a thin material) by bending
• German: zusammenfalten — make the proper arrangement (in a thin material) by bending
• German: falten — make the proper arrangement (in a thin material) by bending
• Greek: διπλώνω (diplóno) — make the proper arrangement (in a thin material) by bending
• Gujarati: વાળવું (vāḷvũ) — make the proper arrangement (in a thin material) by bending
• Icelandic: brjóta saman — make the proper arrangement (in a thin material) by bending
• Irish: fill — make the proper arrangement (in a thin material) by bending
• Italian: piegare — make the proper arrangement (in a thin material) by bending
• Northern Kurdish: pêçan — make the proper arrangement (in a thin material) by bending
• Northern Kurdish: qat kirin — make the proper arrangement (in a thin material) by bending
• Māori: whakapeke — make the proper arrangement (in a thin material) by bending
• Portuguese: dobrar — make the proper arrangement (in a thin material) by bending
• Rapa Nui: hatuhatu — make the proper arrangement (in a thin material) by bending
• Russian: скла́дывать (skládyvatʹ) — make the proper arrangement (in a thin material) by bending
• Russian: сложи́ть (složítʹ) — make the proper arrangement (in a thin material) by bending
• Spanish: plegar — make the proper arrangement (in a thin material) by bending
• Swedish: vika — make the proper arrangement (in a thin material) by bending
• Turkish: bükmek — make the proper arrangement (in a thin material) by bending
• Turkish: katlamak — make the proper arrangement (in a thin material) by bending
• Zazaki: namnen — make the proper arrangement (in a thin material) by bending
• Afrikaans: vou — stir gently with a folding action
• Esperanto: enfaldi — stir gently with a folding action
• Finnish: nostella — stir gently with a folding action
• French: incorporer délicatement — stir gently with a folding action
• German: unterheben — stir gently with a folding action
• Italian: amalgamare — stir gently with a folding action
• Italian: sciogliere — stir gently with a folding action
• Spanish: incorporar — stir gently with a folding action
• Bulgarian: сгъвам се (sgǎvam se) — fall over
• Bulgarian: сгъна се (sgǎna se) — fall over
• Esperanto: kolapsi — fall over
• Finnish: kaatua — fall over
• French: s’effondrer — fall over
• French: s’écrouler — fall over
• German: zusammenfallen — fall over
• German: zusammenkrachen — fall over
• German: zusammenbrechen — fall over
• Greek: διπλώνω (diplóno) — fall over
• Greek: ανοίγω (anoígo) — fall over
• Spanish: doblarse — fall over
• Spanish: derribar — fall over
• Afrikaans: vou — give way on a point or in an argument
• Dutch: zich gewonnen geven — give way on a point or in an argument
• Esperanto: cedi — give way on a point or in an argument
• Finnish: antaa periksi — give way on a point or in an argument
• French: se replier — give way on a point or in an argument
• French: laisser tomber — give way on a point or in an argument
• French: concéder — give way on a point or in an argument
• French: s'écraser — give way on a point or in an argument
• German: nachgeben — give way on a point or in an argument
• German: sich geschlagen geben — give way on a point or in an argument
• Ancient Greek: εἴκω (eíkō) — give way on a point or in an argument
• Italian: cedere — give way on a point or in an argument
• Italian: lasciare cadere — give way on a point or in an argument
• Italian: concedere — give way on a point or in an argument
• Italian: darla vinta — give way on a point or in an argument
• Portuguese: ceder — give way on a point or in an argument
• Russian: уступа́ть (ustupátʹ) — give way on a point or in an argument
• Russian: уступи́ть (ustupítʹ) — give way on a point or in an argument
• Spanish: ceder — give way on a point or in an argument
• Swedish: böja sig — give way on a point or in an argument
• Swedish: vika sig — give way on a point or in an argument
• Bulgarian: отказвам се (otkazvam se) — poker: withdraw from betting
• Bulgarian: откажа се (otkaža se) — poker: withdraw from betting
• Chinese Mandarin: 蓋牌 /盖牌 (gàipái) — poker: withdraw from betting
• Chinese Mandarin: 棄牌 /弃牌 (qìpái) — poker: withdraw from betting
• Czech: foldovat — poker: withdraw from betting
• Esperanto: cedi — poker: withdraw from betting
• Finnish: kipata — poker: withdraw from betting
• French: se coucher — poker: withdraw from betting
• German: aussteigen — poker: withdraw from betting
• Icelandic: pakka — poker: withdraw from betting
• Italian: passare — poker: withdraw from betting
• Portuguese: passar — poker: withdraw from betting
• Russian: фолдить (folditʹ) — poker: withdraw from betting
• Spanish: pasar — poker: withdraw from betting
• Spanish: abandonar — poker: withdraw from betting
• Swedish: lägga sig — poker: withdraw from betting
• Esperanto: fermiĝi — cease to trade
• Finnish: lopettaa — cease to trade
• Finnish: sulkea — cease to trade
• Finnish: mennä nurin — cease to trade
• French: plier bagage — cease to trade
• Greek: καταρρέω (katarréo) — cease to trade
• Italian: chiudere — cease to trade
• Italian: cessare — cease to trade