English word origin

Etymology of volk

Borrowed from Afrikaans volk. Doublet of folk.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

The Afrikaner people.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Afrikaans volk. Doublet of folk.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Root classification mention*pleh₁-ine-pro
Borrowed-form mentionvolkaf
Doublet mentionfolken

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*pleh₁-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "af",
        "3": "volk"
      },
      "expansion": "Afrikaans volk"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "folk"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of folk"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "volk",
      "volk#Afrikaans"
    ],
    [
      "folk",
      "folk#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The Afrikaner people."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "South-Africa",
        "plural",
        "plural-only"
      ],
      "recordId": "c45c3560ba0316279308b7213ce6da284955c71289b70b0a3bc7a353b32d30c0",
      "rawRecordSha256": "053e938744ac94e11466a85544dcb96fb0b67b2c843c63172f63dbe7b7fd4a85",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 480302
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

Alternative form of folk.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English volk, southern form of folk; compare vixen.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Cognate mentionvolkenm

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "volk"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English volk"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "volk",
      "volk#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "folk",
      "folk#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "vixen",
      "vixen#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of folk."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative",
        "dialectal",
        "obsolete",
        "plural",
        "plural-only"
      ],
      "recordId": "f8c1ee78be2a2ab4aa85aa05c52a1fd6c3128c8fcde00483d6a4dc063e2705ac",
      "rawRecordSha256": "c02897548ca0ff570d621524068087c7024c7109c7b9c781b6521fac24d489c8",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 480303
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for volk →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-dm9saw