See also: fold, föld , and Föld

English [ edit ]

Etymology [ edit ]

From Middle English -fold, -fald, -fauld, from Old English -feald (“-fold”), from Proto-Germanic *-falþaz (“-fold”), from Proto-Indo-European *-poltos (“-fold”), from *pel- (“to fold”). Cognate with Dutch -voud, German -fach, Swedish -faldig (“-fold”), Latin -plus, -plex, Ancient Greek -παλτος (-paltos), -πλος (-plos), -πλόος (-plóos). More at fold.

Pronunciation [ edit ]

Audio (US)

Suffix [ edit ]

-fold

Used to make adjectives meaning times. There has been a threefold increase in inflation ( = inflation is three times what it was before) Used to make adverbs meaning times. Inflation has increased threefold ( = inflation is three times what it was before)

Derived terms [ edit ]

Note: -fold can be combined with the word for any positive integer. The words listed below are some of the most common combinations. These words are not hyphenated.





Translations [ edit ]

used to make adjectives Armenian: -պատիկ ( -patik )

Cornish: -plek -blek -flek

Dutch: -voudig (nl)

Finnish: -kertainen

French: fois ( as a separate word: see example ) a threefold increase - un accroissement de trois fois

) German: -fach (de) -fache f pl

Greek: Ancient: -πλασίων ( -plasíōn )

Hungarian: -szoros -szeres -szörös a threefold increase - háromszoros növekedés Italian: volte ( as a separate word: see example ) a threefold increase - un aumento di tre volte

) Manx: -filley -illey

Portuguese: vezes ( as a separate word: see example ) a threefold increase - um aumento de três vezes

) Russian: -кра́тный ( -krátnyj )

Slovak: -krát

Spanish: veces ( as a separate word: see example ) a threefold increase - un aumento de tres veces

) Swedish: -faldig (sv)

Welsh: -blyg -phlyg

used to make adverbs Armenian: -պատիկ ( -patik )

Cornish: -plek -blek -flek

Dutch: -voudig (nl)

Finnish: -kertaisesti

French: fois ( as a separate word: see example ) to increase threefold - accroitre trois fois

) German: -fach (de) -faltig

Greek: Ancient: -πλασιόνως ( -plasiónōs )

Hungarian: -szorosan -szeresen -szörösen -szorosára -szeresére -szörösére ( -szoros -szeres -szörös -an (hu) -en (hu) -a (hu) -ra (hu) -e -re (hu) combined withor ) to increase threefold - háromszorosára növekszik (or háromszorosan megnövekszik) Italian: volte ( as a separate word: see example ) to increase threefold - aumentare tre volte

) Manx: -filley -illey

Portuguese: em X vezes

Russian: -кра́тно ( -krátno )

Slovak: -krát

Spanish: veces (as a separate word: see example) to increase threefold - aumentar tres veces Swedish: -faldigt -falt (sv)

Welsh: -blyg -phlyg

Usage notes [ edit ]

Some writers and speakers use misconstructions like "an increase by twofold," which they believe to mean the same thing as "a twofold increase." But these two things logically mean "an increase by 200% of the original amount" and "an increase to 200% of the original amount," respectively. This practice is not only ambiguous but grammatically poor; it misuses -fold by using it as a noun. -Fold takes no preposition.

200% of the original amount" and "an increase 200% of the original amount," respectively. This practice is not only ambiguous but grammatically poor; it misuses -fold by using it as a noun. -Fold takes no preposition. In scientific contexts, "-fold" is sometimes appended to numerals (with the same sense), as in a 2010 paper by M.C. Stone et al., which mentions "10-fold up-regulation of the number of growing microtubules" in its abstract.