fold
fold Lexical Profile
fold Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To bend something flexible over upon itself so that one part covers another.
"Please fold the clean laundry and place it neatly in the dresser."
To draw or clasp together closely against the body (especially of arms or wings).
"The owl landed silently on the branch and began to fold its wings."
To cease operating or fail financially (especially of a business, organization, or theatrical production).
"Several small neighborhood bookstores were forced to fold due to rising commercial rents."
To mix an ingredient gently into another mixture by lifting and turning it over with a spoon or spatula without stirring or beating.
"Carefully fold the whipped egg whites into the chocolate batter so the mixture stays airy."
To withdraw from the current hand in a card game by laying one's cards face down without placing a bet.
"Realizing his opponent likely held a flush, he decided to fold before the final round of betting."
• noun
A part that is doubled or laid over another part, or the line, crease, or hollow made by such doubling.
"She hid the letter deep within the folds of her heavy winter cloak."
An enclosure or pen for domestic animals, especially sheep, or a group of people sharing a common faith, belief, or activity.
"After years of working abroad, the former diplomat was welcomed back into the party fold."
A bend or curvature in stratified rock layers resulting from tectonic compressive forces in the Earth's crust.
"Geologists mapped the anticline fold exposed along the canyon wall."
Word Nuance & Usage
'Fold' represents two homonyms of distinct Old English origins: one meaning to bend or crease (from 'fealdan'), and the other meaning a pen for sheep or a community of believers (from 'falod'). In historical and biblical contexts, the past participle 'folden' is occasionally encountered, though 'folded' is universal in modern English.
• Rhymes for fold
Word Origin & Etymology
The sense relating to bending or creasing comes from Old English 'fealdan', of Proto-Germanic origin and related to German 'falten'. The noun sense meaning an enclosure for livestock derives separately from Old English 'falod' or 'fald'.