folly

== English == === Pronunciation === (General American) IPA(key): /ˈfɑli/ (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈfɒli/ Rhymes: -ɒli Hyphenation: fol‧ly === Etymology 1 === Derived from Old French folie (“madness”), from the adjective fol (“mad, insane”). ==== Noun ==== folly (countable and uncountable, plural follies) Foolishness that results from a lack of foresight or lack of practicality. Thoughtless action resulting in tragic consequence. (architecture) A fanciful building built for purely ornamental reasons. Hyponym: garden folly ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Related terms ===== fool foolery foolish ===== Translations ===== === Etymology 2 === ==== Verb ==== folly (third-person singular simple present follies, present participle follying, simple past and past participle follied) (dialectal) To follow. === Etymology 3 === Uncertain. The most common theory is that term primarily denotes a clump of trees and relates to French feuille, feuillée and English foliage; it has also been suggested that it references some perceived connection or resemblance of the named place to an architectural folly, but many places so named have no architectural follies and cannot be named directly for them. ==== Noun ==== folly (plural follies) (largely obsolete outside place names) A clump of trees, particularly one on the crest of a hill (or sometimes on a stretch of open ground). 2006, Buddy Sullivan, Richmond Hill, page 52: During the 1920s and 1930s, Folly Farms (above) [referencing a photograph of a farmhouse surrounded by large trees] was owned by Mrs. Samuel Pennington Rotan of Pennsylvania, who was involved in the effort to improve medical care for the indigent people around Ways Station. [...] Folly Farms was originally known as Myrtle Grove [...] ==== References ==== Joseph Wright, editor (1900), “FOLLY”, in The English Dialect Dictionary: […], volume II (D–G), London: Henry Frowde, […], publisher to the English Dialect Society, […]; New York, N.Y.: G[eorge] P[almer] Putnam’s Sons, →OCLC. (2): also spelled volly: "A clump of trees standing on the crest of a hill or in a stretch of open ground." A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles, 1901: ==== Further reading ==== === Further reading === folly on Wikipedia.Wikipedia === Anagrams === folyl, fyllo