folio

The story

1. Latin · derived fromin foliō
2. Italian · derived fromin foglio
3. Italian · derived fromfoglio“rectangular sheet of paper”
4. Medieval Latin · derived fromfoliō
5. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*bʰleh₃-“bloom, flower”
6. Latin · derived fromfolium“leaf of a plant”
7. Late Latin · derived fromfolium“leaf or sheet of paper”
8. Latin · derived fromfoliō
9. Late Latin · derived fromfoliō
10. Medieval Latin · derived fromfoliō
11. Middle English · inherited fromfolio“leaf of a book”
12. English todayfolio

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.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• 19th – early 20th c. 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.