How to pronounce folly
American English pronunciation
FAH-lee
- IPA
- /ˈfɑli/
- Syllables
- FAH · lee (2 syllables, stress on the 1st)
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What folly means
Most people know folly in its everyday sense. Here's its other meaning.
A fancy garden building built only for show
In a sentence: On the hill stood a folly shaped like a tiny ruined castle, with no rooms inside at all.
Where it comes from: It comes from French folie, madness. A building made only for looks probably seemed like a foolish thing to pay for, so it took the same name.
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