Folk
Folk (fōk) , n. collect. & pl.
[Anglo-Saxon folc; akin to Dutch volk, Old Saxon & Old High German folk, German volk, Icelandic fōlk, Swedish & Danish folk, Lithuanian pulkas crowd, and perh. to English follow.]
1.
(Eng. Hist.) In Anglo-Saxon times, the people of a group of townships or villages; a community; a tribe. [Obsolete]
The organization of each folk, as such, sprang mainly from war.
2.
People in general, or a separate class of people; -- generally used in the plural form, and often with a qualifying adjective; as, the old folks; poor folks. [Colloquial]
In winter's tedious nights, sit by the fire
With good old folks, and let them tell thee tales.
3.
The persons of one's own family; as, our folks are all well. [Colloquial New English] — Bartlett
Collocations (2)
Folk song , one of a class of songs long popular with the common people.
Folk speech , the speech of the common people, as distinguished from that of the educated class.
Also: Folks