English

A copy of the «礼记» (Lǐjì; Book of Rites), a collection of Confucian texts describing the social forms, administration, and ceremonial rites of the Zhou dynasty as they were understood in the Warring States and the early Han periods. The term folio can refer to each leaf of the book (sense 1), or each page (sense 2); in the latter sense, two folios of the open book can be seen in the photograph.

Noun

folio ‎(plural folios)

1. A leaf of a book or manuscript.
   • 2004, Eric H. Ash, “Secants, Sailors, and Elizabethan Manuals of Navigation”, in Power, Knowledge, and Expertise in Elizabethan England, Baltimore, Md.; London: Johns Hopkins University Press, ISBN 978-0-8018-7992-0, page 162:

     [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 Globes, Celestiall and Terrestriall... (1592) was roughly two hundred pages long but did not include such helpful tools as an index, a table of contents, or even folio numbers. In order to refer to some lesson that he might need, the reader would have to leaf through the text until the passage in question was found, or else rely upon his own marginal notes.

   • 2004, Jason Glenn, Politics and History in the Tenth Century: The Work and World of Richer of Reims, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0-521-83487-2, page 140:

     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, or amend text that he had already composed in the codex. In this quire, however, Richer wrote around the added folios as if it was the quire he added to them, not the converse. Indeed, if we were to remove folios 29 and 31, there would be neither grammatical nor narrative continuity between the original folios of the quire which would face each other, that is, between folios 28^v[erso] and 30^r[ecto] on the one hand, or folios 30^v and 32^r on the other.

2. A page of a book, that is, one side of a leaf of a book.
   • [1871, “Folio Page”, in J[ohn] Luther Ringwalt, editor, American Encyclopædia of Printing, Philadelphia, Pa.: Menamin & Ringwalt, 517 Minor Street; J. B. Lippincott & Co., 715 Market Street, OCLC 1182318, page 172:

     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, however, are more frequently imposed as four-page forms, and printed on Double-post and Double-foolscap paper.]

3. (printing) A page number. The even folios are on the left-hand pages and the odd folios on the right-hand pages.
   • [1871, “Folio”, in J[ohn] Luther Ringwalt, editor, American Encyclopædia of Printing, Philadelphia, Pa.: Menamin & Ringwalt, 517 Minor Street; J. B. Lippincott & Co., 715 Market Street, OCLC 1182318, page 172:

     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 odd on the right. The preface, contents, index, and all introductory matter, usually have separate folios inserted in Roman lower-case numerals.]

   • 2006, Andrew Haslam, “Creating a Book”, in Book Design (Portfolio), London: Laurence King Publishing, ISBN 978-1-85669-473-5, page 21:

     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.

4. (paper) A sheet of paper folded in half.
   • 1821 April 1, “Useful Arts”, in The New Monthly Magazine and Literary Journal, volume III, London: Henry Colburn and Co. Conduit-Street, Hanover-Square, OCLC 7489271, page 180:

     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 apparatus may be conveniently carried in the pocket, and the price is very moderate.

5. (books) 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 cm in height.

   A rare copy of Shakespeare’s First Folio.‎

   • 1759, Humfrey Wanley, David Casley, William Hocker, and Charles Morton, compilers, A Catalogue of the Harleian Collection of Manuscripts, Purchased by Authority of Parliament, for the Use of the Publick; and Preserved in the British Museum. Published by Order of the Trustees, volume II, London: Printed by Dryden Leach, and sold by L. Davis and C. Reymers, opposite Grays-Inn, Holborn, OCLC 5733486, serial number 5876:

     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, together with the Etymologie, definition & antiquitie of 3 ſortes of Barons.

   • 2003, Anthony James West, The Shakespeare First Folio: The History of the Book. Volume II: A New Worldwide Census of First Folios, volume II, Oxford: Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-818768-4, page 87:

     He [collector Anthony Morris Storer] bequeathed part of his collection to […] Eton College, including the First Folio [of William Shakespeare], a fine copy of the Second Folio, a poor copy of the Third Folio, and the collection of Quartos.

6. (accounting) A page in an account book; sometimes, two opposite pages bearing the same serial number.
   • 1806, “Book-keeping”, in The New and Complete American Encyclopædia: or, Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences; [...] In Seven Volumes, volume II, New York, N.Y.: Printed and published by John Low, No. 33, Chatham-Street, OCLC 48621966, page 152:

     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 a proper title, to explain the nature of the articles it contains; and articles of oppoſite kinds, which belong to the ſame account, are placed on the oppoſite pages of the ſame folio: for inſtance, money received on the one ſide, and money paid on the other; or goods bought on the one ſide, and goods ſold on the other.

7. (law, dated, 19th to early 20th century) A leaf containing a certain number of words; hence, a certain number of words in a writing, as in England, in law proceedings 72, and in chancery, 90; in New York, 100 words.
   • 1817 December 20, House of Commons of the United Kingdom, “Second Report of the Commissioners for Examining into the Duties, Salaries and Emoluments, of the Officers, Clerks and Ministers, of the Several Courts of Justice, in England, Wales, and Berwick-upon-Tweed;—as to the Court of Chancery”, in Reports from Committees: Fever; Ireland; Courts of Justice: Session 27 January – 10 June, 1818, volume VII, [London]: [s.n.], published 6 April 1818, OCLC 84619101, pages 172 and 176:

     [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 the duty of the Cursitors to make out) it has been the practice in certain cases for the Filacers of the Courts of King's Bench and Common Pleas respectively, to receive from the Suitors the King's fines (if any) and also the fees payable to the Cursitors in respect of such original writs, and afterwards to account to the Cursitors for the fines and fees so received. […] [page 176] The Cursitors have claimed before us a right to compute the skin in all cases, at twenty folios, each folio containing seventy-two words; and to charge 1 s. 4 d. for every folio, instead of the fees now taken per folio or per skin, where the writ in charged in that manner. In support of this claim they have contended, that twenty folios of seventy-two words each, were established by the Order of 1743, as the length of a skin; […] The writ [of Transgress' super Casum], exclusive of the part containing the matter of the declaration, contains less than two folios of seventy-two words each; common counts are stated to contain usually, from two to three folios; special counts are usually longer, and sometimes of a much greater length.

   • 1862, George Henry Cooper and Alexander Staveley Hill, reporters, “Fees to be Taken in the Principal Registry of the Court of Probate in Non-contentious Business”, in The Law Journal Reports for the Year 1862: Cases in the Court of Probate, in the Court for Divorce and Matrimonial Causes, and in the High Court of Admiralty (New Series; XXXI), volume XL, part IV, London: Printed by James Holmes, 4, Took's Court, Chancery Lane; published by Edward Bret Ince, 5, Quality Court, Chancery Lane, OCLC 756822102, page 64:

     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 the fee for the copy … … … … [£]0 1[s.] 0[d.] / If exceeding two folios of ninety words, for every additional folio or part of a folio … … [£]0 0[s.] 6[d.]

Synonyms

• (book consisting of sheets folded in half): F, f, fo, 2º

Derived terms

Verb

folio ‎(third-person singular simple present folios, present participle folioing, simple past and past participle folioed)

1. To put a serial number on each folio or page of (a book); to page.
   • 1860, Nathan Howard, Jr., “Rules of the Supreme Court”, in The Code of Procedure of Pleadings and Practice of the State of New-York, 1860, 2nd enl. and improved edition, New York, N.Y.: Banks & Brothers, law publishers, 144 Nassau Street; and 475 Broadway, Albany, OCLC 63999434, rule XX, page 735:

     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 for that purpose, nor will the court hear any motion or application founded thereon.

   • 1874, William Wait, “Part XIII. Motions, Orders and Papers. Chapter II. Affidavits and Petitions. Article II. Petitions. Section 3. Form and Contents of Petitions.”, in The Practice at Law, in Equity, and in Special Proceedings, in All the Courts of Record in the State of New York; with Appropriate Forms, volume IV, Albany, N.Y.: William Gould & Son, law booksellers and publishers, OCLC 877051566, page 585:

     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 in length must be folioed.

   • 1907, J[ohn] Thornton, “Lesson VII.—The Principle of the Transfer from Preparatory to Final Record”, in A Manual of Bookkeeping for the Use of Students (Elementary Commercial Class-books), new and rev. edition, London: Macmillan and Co., Limited, St Martin's Street, London, OCLC 67883470, page 105:

     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.

Synonyms

• foliate

Esperanto

Etymology

Borrowing from Latin folium ‎(“leaf, sheet”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fo.ˈli.o/
• Hyphenation: fo‧li‧o

Noun

folio ‎(accusative singular folion, plural folioj, accusative plural foliojn)

1. (botany) leaf
2. sheet

Derived terms

• folioŝtormo ‎(“leafstorm”)
• paperfolio

Finnish

Noun

folio

1. foil (very thin sheet of metal)

Declension

Ido

Etymology

From Esperanto folio, from Latin folium

Noun

folio (plural folii)

1. (botany) leaf
2. (thin) sheet
3. folio (leaf/sheet of paper)

Latin

Noun

foliō n

1. dative singular of folium
2. ablative singular of folium

Serbo-Croatian

Noun

folio m ‎(Cyrillic spelling фолио)

1. folio

Declension

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowing from Latin folium. Cf. also hoja.

Noun

folio m ‎(plural folios)

1. folio