Nearby Words

folly

[fol-ee] Origin

fol·ly

[fol-ee]
noun, plural -lies for 2–6.
1.
the state or quality of being foolish; lack of understanding or sense.
2.
a foolish action, practice, idea, etc.; absurdity: the folly of performing without a rehearsal.
3.
a costly and foolish undertaking; unwise investment or expenditure.
4.
Architecture. a whimsical or extravagant structure built to serve as a conversation piece, lend interest to a view, commemorate a person or event, etc.: found especially in England in the 18th century.
5.
follies, a theatrical revue.
EXPAND
6.
Obsolete. wickedness; wantonness.
COLLAPSE

Origin:
1175–1225; Middle English folie < Old French, derivative of fol, fou foolish, mad. See fool1

su·per·fol·ly, noun, plural -lies.


2. imprudence, rashness, mistake, foolishness, indiscretion, injudiciousness; madness, lunacy.

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Folly is always a great word to know.
So is colossal. Does it mean:
a concave surface or molding forming part of a ceiling at its edge that eliminates the usual interior angle between the wall and ceiling
pertaining to a classical order whose columns or pilasters span two or more stories of a building
Collins
World English Dictionary
folly (ˈfɒlɪ)
 
n , pl -lies
1.  the state or quality of being foolish; stupidity; rashness
2.  a foolish action, mistake, idea, etc
3.  a building in the form of a castle, temple, etc, built to satisfy a fancy or conceit, often of an eccentric kind
4.  (plural) theatre an elaborately costumed revue
5.  archaic
 a.  evil; wickedness
 b.  lewdness; wantonness
 
[C13: from Old French folie madness, from fou mad; see fool1]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

folly
early 13c., from O.Fr. folie, from fol (see fool). Sense of "costly structure considered to have shown folly in the builder" is attested from 1650s. Used since M.E. of place names, especially country estates, as a form of O.Fr. folie in its meaning "delight." Meaning "glamorous
EXPAND
theatrical revue with lots of pretty girls" is from 1880, from French.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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