On the Word : Fold

The word 'fold' comes from two different Old English words, depending upon whether the verb form or a particular noun form is used. The noun meaning "an enclosure for sheep" comes from falæd, a stall or stable. The noun meaning "a bend," on the other hand, comes from the same root as the verb, which is faldan (Mercian) or fealdan (West Saxon), meaning "to bend cloth back over itself."

The sense of "an enclosure for sheep" eventually came to mean "a dwelling," and from this sense the archaic Middle English phrase "in fere and fold" came about. This clause means "in prison together." Fere means "fellow."

The Scottish Fold is a breed of cat. The ears of this cat fold forwards - hence the name, though this type of feline only becomes known as a "Fold" in 1966. Prior to that the breed is described as the Lop-Ears or Lops, named after the lop-eared rabbit. The gene mutation which causes the ears to do this is also responsible for osteochondrodysplasia, which causes malformed bone structures. Breeding this type of cat is actually prohibited in several countries because of this. In addition, if such a cat is born with straight ears, it is known as a Scottish Straight.

In mathematics, one of the multiple uses of the word fold is in the phrase fold change. A fold change is a ratio between two values - e.g. the fold change of A with respect to B is A / B. This is where we get the phrases "two-fold", "three-fold" and so on, to mean "double" or "triple."

In card games, to fold is to give up a hand of cards and thus exit from the game. In the United States this is done by placing the cards all face down on the table; in casinos in the United Kingdom however, the cards are given to the dealer, who then shows them face-up so that all of the other players can see the values, before then discarding the cards. Placing these cards into the discard pile is known as mucking, and hence in the US the act of folding itself is sometimes known as mucking.

In newspaper terminology, text which is "above the fold" is text which is immediately viewable by the reader, such as a headline - the idea being that if the newspaper is folded, one doesn't have to unfold it to read the text. The same term has come to be used in web design to mean text which the user does not have to scroll to in order to encounter. Similarly, "below the fold" refers to text which requires further action to become legible.

In business, to fold, or to "fold up," means to go out of business, resulting in liquidation. This sense of failure is perhaps related to the usage of the word in card games. A similar use case occurs in show business, where a play can "fold" after a certain number of performances.

In Old English law, "fold soke" (or foldage) is the right of a manor lord to have his tenant's sheep graze on his land, and thus fertilize it when they defecate. I have to wonder about the wisdom of this law - it seems to imply that in certain situations - or perhaps in all situations ? - the value of the grass currently on the lawn is less than the ability to ensure the growing of grass in the future. There is a morality tale lurking in this somewhere.

When someone is drunk, they are sometimes said to be "folded."

To fold one's tent means to withdraw in a discreet manner. This phrase comes from Longfellow's poem "The Day is Done" from 1844 : "And the night shall be filled with music, And the cares that infest the day, Shall fold their tents, like the Arabs, And quietly steal away."

To return to the fold means to rejoin a group of people to which you once belonged and then left. It comes from the definition of a fold as a container for sheep. In a similar way, leaving the fold means to leave the group. It is often used in a religious context, where "the fold" indicates the congregation.

An epicanthic fold is a fold of the eyelid which gives a distinctive look to the eyes of many east asian peoples, though the fold can be found in ethnicities of all types. Various evolutionary ideas have been proposed as to why the folds develop, such as insulation from the effects of cold, or protection against ultraviolet light in hot desert regions; clearly these ideas contradict one another to a certain extent. The surgical modification of these folds has its own name - epicanthoplasty.

Origami, which is the art of paper folding to create shapes, has names for particular types of folds. These include the book fold, inside reverse fold, mountain fold, outside reverse fold, petal fold, sink fold, squash fold, triangle fold, and valley fold. The word origami itself comes from the Japanese words ori ("folding") and kami ("paper").

Although not considered an art form, the ability of folding the tongue in certain ways has been studied by various scientists. So far as I can tell, only one type of 'tongue fold' has resulted in a distinctive trait being defined - that of Cloverleaf Tongue. The ability to fold the tip of the tongue upwards has also been noted, but alas, has not as of yet received an equivalent form of distinction.

The philosopher Gilles Deleuze introduces a concept which he terms the fold (his term in French : Le pli) when considering the notion of subjectivity. To him, subjectivity is a relationship in which one concept is 'folded' into another. I don't understand this idea so I won't attempt to summarize it; instead I invite the reader to investigate Simon O'Sullivan's ruminations on this topic at https://www.simonosullivan.net/articles/deleuze-dictionary.pdf.

In the drug world, a fold is a small piece of paper, presumably folded over, which contains heroin or some other drug. These are sometimes called diamond folds.

In forensic science, a pharmacist's fold, or a druggist's fold, is a pattern used on paper which contains physical evidence, such as hair, fibers, or powders. Druggists used to dispense powders in folds of paper, and the forensic science term derives from this use of the word.

The "fentanyl fold" is the state in which an opioid user remains slumped over in an awkward position. It is caused by the sudden loss of muscle control.

In zaju drama, which is a type of drama from the Yuan dynasty period in China, a fold is a way of structuring narrative to create episodes within the play, allowing for such things as comic interludes or shifting between separate storylines.

Note : the text of this post will appear in my book Mindspillage, which can be pre-ordered.

Note : collecting the NFT representing this text may allow for future IP sharing rights for the contents of this article, as described by the IP sharing mechanics planned by T2's integration with the Zora blockchain and Story Protocol.

Sources :

https://www.etymonline.com/word/fold, accessed 2024-11-25

https://www.oed.com/dictionary/fold_n2?tab=meaning_and_use, accessed 2024-11-25

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_Fold, accessed 2024-11-25

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fold_change, accessed 2024-11-25

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betting_in_poker#Fold, accessed 2024-11-25

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Above_the_fold, accessed 2024-11-25

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fold%20up, accessed 2024-11-25

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fold%20soke, accessed 2024-11-25

https://qcpages.qc.cuny.edu/~hlevine/Vocabulary-of-Drunkenness-Levine.pdf, accessed 2024-11-25

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/fold%20one's%20tent, accessed 2024-11-25

https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/return+to+the+fold, accessed 2024-11-26