folklife

noun

folk·​life ˈfōk-ˌlīf How to pronounce folklife (audio)
: the traditions, activities, skills, and products (such as handicrafts) of a particular people or group

Examples of folklife in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Kentucky folklife specialist Camille Acosta views horror as an instrument for healing. Sarah Quiñones Wolfson, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2023 Common Ground on the Hill was recently named Maryland’s newest folklife center, one of three new regional folklife centers in the state, according to a Common Ground news release. Megan Woodward, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, 7 Aug. 2020 The exhibition opened with a panel discussion about the life and legacy of Thornton Dial featuring artists Richard Dial, Lonnie Holley, curator and historian Anne Collins Smith, and American studies and folklife professor and historian Stacy Morgan. Shauna Stuart | Sstuart@al.com, al, 1 Dec. 2022 The Smithsonian and the USSR Ministry of Culture planned meetings of American and Soviet folklife scholars. Dr. Richard Kurin, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Mar. 2022 Our view—that folklife and culture belonged to the people and was an exercise of their expressive freedom—was in basic contrast with just about all Soviet officials and most, but not all, of their scholarly colleagues. Dr. Richard Kurin, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Mar. 2022 Spitzer served as a folklife specialist at the Smithsonian’s then-Office of Folklife Programs, now the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, between 1985 and 1990. Bill Adler, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Dec. 2021 Ford Hamp's husband, Steve, got his bachelor of arts degree in American history from Butler, a master of arts degree in folklore and folklife from Indiana and his master of museum practice degree from Michigan. Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press, 23 June 2020 Many people got up and placed a rose, among them Jennifer A. Cutting, a specialist the folklife center and 32-year veteran of the library. Washington Post, 21 Nov. 2019

Word History

First Known Use

1864, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of folklife was in 1864

Dictionary Entries Near folklife

Cite this Entry

“Folklife.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/folklife. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024.

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