folktale
UK[ˈfəʊkˌteɪl]US[ˈfoʊkˌteɪl]
n
a traditional story passed down orally within a community, often involving mythical beings or explaining natural phenomena.
n
a popular but unfounded story or piece of information that is widely circulated.
Morpheme Breakdown
folk
tale
folk
people
tale
story
Etymology
the word 'folktale' is a transparent compound formed from two ancient germanic roots. 'folk' originates from proto-germanic fulką, meaning "people" or "tribe," which itself derives from the proto-indo-european root pl̥h₁-gós, related to fullness or multitude. 'tale' stems from proto-germanic talō, meaning "narration" or "number," linked to the act of telling or counting. the compound emerged in english to specifically denote the stories originating from and circulating among the common populace, as opposed to literary tales. this term elegantly captures the essence of oral tradition, where narratives are collectively owned and transmitted across generations within a cultural group.
Analysis
Structure: folk (people) + tale (story)
folk: from old english 'folc' (common people, nation, tribe), of germanic origin. functions as a noun root meaning "the common people of a society".
tale: from old english 'talu' (story, account, statement), of germanic origin. functions as a noun root meaning "a narrative or story".
Examples
the children gathered around to hear an old folktale about a clever rabbit and a stubborn bear.
many cultures have a folktale that explains how the leopard got its spots.
the story of paul bunyan is a famous american folktale.