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folly

Pronunciation: /ˈfɒli/
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Definition of folly

noun (plural follies)

  • 1 [mass noun] lack of good sense; foolishness:an act of sheer folly
  • [count noun] a foolish act, idea, or practice:the follies of youth
  • 2a costly ornamental building with no practical purpose, especially a tower or mock-Gothic ruin built in a large garden or park.
  • 3 (Follies) a theatrical revue with glamorous female performers: [in names]:the Ziegfeld Follies

Origin:

Middle English: from Old French folie 'madness', in modern French also 'delight, favourite dwelling' (compare with folly (sense 2)), from fol 'fool, foolish'

folly in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of folly in the US English dictionary

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