Folklore Vocabulary

noun A pair of eyes that are unusually large or protruding, resembling the shape of a banjo

• She had a distinct feature of banjo eyes, which gave her a unique and captivating look.
• His banjo eyes always made him stand out in a crowd.
• I couldn't stop staring at her banjo eyes, they were so mesmerizing.
• The actor's exaggerated expressions made his eyes look like banjos during the intense scene.

noun a phosphorescent light that hovers or flits over swampy ground at night, possibly caused by the combustion of gases from decomposed organic matter

• The ignis fatuus is a natural phenomenon that can sometimes be mistaken for a ghostly light in the distance.
• I thought I saw an ignis fatuus while walking in the woods last night, but it turned out to be just a reflection.
• Don't be fooled by that ignis fatuus, it's just a trick of the light.
• His promises were like an ignis fatuus, leading me on but never delivering.

noun a joke or witty remark

verb to joke or jest in a playful or teasing manner

• The comedian's jape was met with polite laughter from the audience.
• I couldn't help but chuckle at his silly jape.
• That jape was so corny, it made me groan.
• Her words were like a sharp jape, cutting through the tension in the room.

noun cattle or cows collectively

• The farmer raised a fine herd of kine on his ranch.
• I saw a bunch of kine grazing in the field.
• Check out those kine chilling by the pond.
• The kine of the business world are always looking for greener pastures.

noun family members or relatives

• The family reunion was a gathering of all our kinfolk from near and far.
• I'm heading over to my kinfolk's place for a barbecue this weekend.
• My kinfolk and I are planning a road trip out west next month.
• In times of need, your friends can become your kinfolk.

noun insanity; mental disorder characterized by reckless or irresponsible behavior

• The court declared the defendant's actions as a result of severe lunacy.
• It's pure lunacy to think that plan would work.
• That idea is total lunacy, dude.
• The chaos in the city was like a wave of lunacy sweeping through.

noun a person who predicts the future or gives prophetic statements

verb to predict the future or give prophetic statements

• The soothsayer was consulted to provide a prediction of the future.
• I heard that guy is a soothsayer, he can tell you what's gonna happen next.
• That soothsayer is always spouting off some crazy predictions.
• Her ability to soothsay the outcome of the project was uncanny.

noun a strong regional accent in speech

verb to cause to make a twang

• The musician played the guitar with a distinctive twang that resonated throughout the concert hall.
• I love the twang of a banjo in bluegrass music.
• Her voice had a twang that reminded me of home.
• There was a twang of sadness in her voice as she spoke about her lost pet.

adjective moving counterclockwise

adverb in a direction contrary to the sun's course, considered as unlucky; counterclockwise

• The dancer moved widdershins around the maypole during the traditional ceremony.
• She walked widdershins around the block to avoid running into her ex-boyfriend.
• I heard he was going widdershins on the dance floor last night.
• The company's profits seemed to be going widdershins despite their efforts to turn things around.

noun the practice of magic or sorcery, typically involving the use of spells, charms, and rituals

• The practice of witchcraft has a long history dating back to ancient times.
• Some people believe in the power of witchcraft to influence events.
• She's into all that witchcraft stuff, you know?
• His ability to manipulate people's opinions was like a form of political witchcraft.

noun a former time, long past

• In the days of yore, people used to communicate through written letters.
• Back in the yore days, folks didn't have smartphones to stay connected.
• Yore was a time when things were totally different, man.
• The old house had a charm that harked back to yore.

adjective a Scottish dialect term meaning talkative or chatty

• The professor's gawsy lecture captivated the students' attention.
• She always tells the most gawsy stories at parties.
• That movie was so gawsy, I couldn't stop laughing.
• His gawsy personality always brightens up the room.

noun a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea. In this phrase, 'pot', 'crock', 'gold', 'end', and 'rainbow' are all nouns.

adjective a word that describes or modifies a noun. In this phrase, 'gold', 'end', and 'rainbow' can all be considered adjectives as they describe the nouns they precede.

preposition a word that shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence. In this phrase, 'of' is a preposition.

article a word that specifies a noun as definite or indefinite. In this phrase, 'the' is an article.

• Legend has it that there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
• They say there's a crock of gold at the end of the rainbow.
• People believe there's a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
• The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow represents the ultimate reward for hard work and perseverance.

noun an't is not a noun

verb an't is a contraction of 'am not' or 'are not', used as a verb in informal English

adjective an't is not an adjective

adverb an't is not an adverb

pronoun an't is not a pronoun

preposition an't is not a preposition

conjunction an't is not a conjunction

interjection an't is not an interjection

article an't is not an article

• I can't attend the meeting tomorrow due to a prior commitment.
• I can't make it to the party tonight, sorry.
• I ain't gonna do that, it's too risky.
• I can't wrap my head around the concept of time travel.