menfolk
UK[ˈmenfəʊk]US[ˈmenfoʊk]
n
the men of a family or community considered as a group
n
men in general; the male sex
Morpheme Breakdown
men
folk
men
plural of man
folk
people
Etymology
the word 'menfolk' is a transparent compound from old english roots, formed by combining the plural 'men' with the collective noun 'folk'. it follows a common germanic pattern for creating group designations, similar to 'kinsfolk' or 'womenfolk'. the term literally means "the folk who are men," directly reflecting its modern sense of a collective male group within a family or society. its formation is entirely native to english, showcasing the language's capacity for creating descriptive compound words from its core anglo-saxon vocabulary.
Analysis
Structure: men (plural of man) + folk (people)
men is the plural form of 'man', from old english 'mann' (adult male, person). folk is from old english 'folc' (common people, nation, tribe).
Examples
the menfolk of the village gathered to discuss the harvest.
while the women prepared the feast, the menfolk relaxed on the porch.
in many traditional tales, the menfolk go off to hunt or to war.