folio

A leaf of a book or manuscript.

Noun

  1. A leaf of a book or manuscript.
    • [Thomas] Hood also presented his treatises in such a way that conveniently accessing specific lessons was difficult, if not impossible, for the reader-practitioner. For example, his book entitled The Vse of Both the...
    • We saw above that the fourth quire consists of ten folios, two of which (folios 29 and 31) Richer added to a quaternion (folios 23 to 28, 30, 32). Most of the folios Richer added to his manuscript supplement, elaborate,...
  2. A page of a book, that is, one side of a leaf of a book.
    • Folio Page.—A page which occupies the half of a full sheet of paper, as Post-folio, Demy-folio, etc. Two pages of folio are imposed together as one form, four pages being a perfect sheet. Post-folio and Foolscap-folio,...
  3. A page number. The even folios are on the left-hand pages and the odd folios on the right-hand pages.
    • Folio.—The running number of the pages of a work. When there is no running title, the folio is placed in the centre of the head-line; when there is a running title, at the outside corner—the even folio on the left, the...
    • verso left-hand page of a book usually identified with even folio numbers. […] recto right-hand page of a book usually identified with odd folio numbers. - 2006, Andrew Haslam, “Creating a Book”, in Book Design...
  4. A sheet of paper folded in half.
    • This pocket copying-machine, by which letters and writings of all sizes, even folio, may be very quickly copied, consists of a press four inches long, with a small cylinder, which contains pens and ink: the whole...
  5. A book made of sheets of paper each folded in half (two leaves or four pages to the sheet); hence, a book of the largest kind, exceeding 30 centimetres in height.
    • A rare copy of Shakespeare’s First Folio.
    • A treatiſe in Folio, intitled, The Magazen of Honour, or a Treatiſe concerninge the Nobillitie of England accordinge to the Lawes of England, with their Priviledges in Parliament, & in what caſes noe priviledge,...
    • The imputed virtue of folios full of knockdown arguments is supposed to reside in them, just as some of the majesty of the British Empire dwells in the constable’s truncheon. - 1874–1881, Robert Louis Stevenson,...

    Synonyms: F f fo 2º

  6. A wrapper for loose papers.
  7. A page in an account book; sometimes, two opposite pages bearing the same serial number.
    • In the leger,^([sic]) articles of the ſame kind are collected together; and, for that purpoſe, it is divided into many accounts, under which the different branches of buſineſs are arranged. Each account is introduced by...
  8. A protective case with a flap that folds to cover the screen of a mobile device.
  9. A leaf containing a certain number of words; hence, a certain number of words in a piece of writing, as in England, in law proceedings 72, and in chancery, 90; in New York, 100 words.
    • [page 172] When actions are brought in the Courts of King's Bench or Common Pleas, founded upon original writs issuing out of the Courts of Chancery (which writs, as stated in the Report of the 9th of April 1816, it is...
    • If the office copy of a Will or any part of a Will or other document is required to be made fac-simile, and such Will or part of a Will or other document is two folios of ninety words in length or under, in addition to...

Origin

From Middle English folio (“leaf of a book”), borrowed from Medieval Latin foliō, Late Latin foliō, Latin foliō, the ablative singular form of Late Latin folium (“leaf or sheet of paper”), Latin folium (“leaf of a plant”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰleh₃- (“bloom, flower”). Doublet of foil and folium, and distantly related to phyllo and phyllon. 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.

Forms

folios

Hyponyms

atlas folio bifolio blind folio double elephant folio elephant folio first folio

Derived

folio post

Verb

  1. To put a serial number on (a folio or page, or on all the folios or pages of a book); to foliate, to page.
    • And all the pleadings and other proceedings and copies thereof shall be fairly and legibly written; and if not so written, and folioed, and indorsed as aforesaid, the clerks shall not file such as may be offered to them...
    • Folioing. The rule previously stated as to affidavits and other papers in respect to folioing applies also to petitions. They must be fairly and legibly written and indorsed, and where they are of more than two folios...
    • Folioing is necessary as an indication how far in his work the poster has proceeded, and must be done in both books immediately after each entry. - 1907, J[ohn] Thornton, “Lesson VII.—The Principle of the Transfer from...

Forms

folios folioing folioed