folio

Meaning

Noun

1. A leaf of a book or manuscript.
2. A page of a book, that is, one side of a leaf of a book.
3. (broadly) A page number. The even folios are on the left-hand pages and the odd folios on the right-hand pages.
4. (broadly) A sheet of paper folded in half.
5. (broadly) 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.
6. A wrapper for loose papers.
7. A page in an account book; sometimes, two opposite pages bearing the same serial number.
8. A protective case with a flap that folds to cover the screen of a mobile device.
9. (dated) 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.

Verb

To put a serial number on (a folio or page, or on all the folios or pages of a book); to foliate, to page.

Synonyms

page number

leaf

pagination

page

volume

paging

octavo

paginate

paper

quarto

register

sheet

number the leaves of

blade

page code

file

index

leaflet

list

magazine

Translations

folio

foglio

folio

foli

feuille

pagina

feuillet

φύλλο

infolio

Seitenziffer

Kolumnenziffer

Seitenzahl

Blatt

full

pagination

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈfəʊlɪəʊ/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: folio

Cognate with Latin: folium

In summary

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.