English
folio
Folio comes from Medieval Latin foliō ‘to make into leaf/foil’, and goes back to Late Latin folium.
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEfolium‘leaf or sheet of paper’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500foliō‘to make into leaf/foil’ablative singular form of folium
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500folio‘leaf of a book’
- Englishearliest quotation 1759same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEfolium‘leaf or sheet of paper’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500foliō‘to make into leaf/foil’ablative singular form of folium
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500folio‘leaf of a book’
- Englishearliest quotation 1759same form
Earliest quotation: 1759, Humfrey Wanley, David Casley: “A treatiſe in Folio, intitled, The Magazen of Honour,…”
The story
Senses 1, 2, 3.1, 5, and 6 relating to a leaf or page are derived from Medieval Latin foliō in references; sense 5 (‘page in an account book’) may be derived from Italian foglio (‘rectangular sheet of paper’), from Latin folium. Senses 3.2 and 3.3 relating to a paper size are from Italian in foglio or its etymon Latin in foliō.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₃- ‘bloom, flower’
full, blood, blow, flower, blade, bless, bloom, floral, bleed, flora, blossom, fool, flourish, ferret, florist, fleur, flor, belladonna, 54 more
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰolh₃yom ‘leaf’
through Late Latin folium ‘leaf or sheet of paper’
Today it means
noun A leaf of a book or manuscript.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Late Latin folium / folio