folk

1 syllable

Quick answer

As a noun, folk means the inhabitants of a region, especially the native inhabitants. As an adjective, it means of or pertaining to the inhabitants of a land, their culture, tradition, or history.

Meanings of folk

14 meanings

noun

The inhabitants of a region, especially the native inhabitants.
plural onlyPeople in general.
plural onlyA particular group of people.
“Young folk, old folk, everybody come / To our little Sunday School, and have a lot of fun.”
plural onlyplural: folksOne’s relatives, especially one’s parents.
musicShort for folk music.
People in general (often used in the plural)
“they're just country folk”
“folks around here drink moonshine”
“the common people determine the group character and preserve its customs from one generation to the next”
Similar: folks, common people
A social division of (usually preliterate) people
Similar: tribe
People descended from a common ancestor
“his family has lived in Massachusetts since the Mayflower”
Similar: family, family line, kinfolk, kinsfolk, sept, phratry
The traditional and typically anonymous music that is an expression of the life of people in a community
Similar: folk music, ethnic music

Older and rare meanings (1)

archaicA grouping of smaller peoples or tribes as a nation.

adjective

Of or pertaining to the inhabitants of a land, their culture, tradition, or history.
Of or pertaining to common people as opposed to ruling classes or elites.
architectureOf or related to local building materials and styles.
Believed or transmitted by the common people; not academically correct or rigorous.
“folk psychology; folk linguistics”

Meanings from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0).