English
follies
Follies comes from French folie ‘madness, folly, insanity’, from Old French fol ‘mad’, and ultimately from Latin follis ‘bellows’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfollis1‘bellows’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400fol2‘mad’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400folie3‘madness’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600folie3
- Frenchc. 1600–presentfolie4as folies‘madness, folly, insanity’
- Englishearliest quotation 2014follies4
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Old French fol
- 2 Wiktionary, Old French folie
- 3 Wiktionary, French folie
- 4 Wiktionary, English follies
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2014: “It has been a long time since new follies…”.
Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfollisWiktionary, Old French fol‘bellows’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400folWiktionary, Old French folie‘mad’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400folieWiktionary, French folie‘madness’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600folieWiktionary, French folie
- Frenchc. 1600–presentfolieWiktionary, English folliesas folies‘madness, folly, insanity’
- Englishearliest quotation 2014folliesWiktionary, English follies. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2014: “It has been a long time since new follies…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰelǵʰ- ‘to swell’
budget, belly, bloc, bulge, budge, bolster, bellows, billow, 14 more
through Latin follis ‘bellows’
through Old French fol ‘mad’
through Old French folie ‘madness’
Today it means
noun A lavishly-produced theatrical revue characterized by major stars, huge casts, and opulent costumes and scenery.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “follies”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Old French fol, Old French folie, French folie. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Latin follis / follies