overwordExplorer
LATIN · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

follis.

bellows

6 characters2 syllables approx.Latina language

Meaning & usage

noun[ˈfɔl.lɪs]Classical-Latin[ˈfɔl.lis]

  1. bellows

    declension-3 · masculine

  2. purse, sack, money bag

    declension-3 · masculine

  3. a small value coin

    broadly · declension-3 · masculine

  4. an inflated ball

    declension-3 · masculine

  5. paunch, belly

    declension-3 · masculine

  6. puffed cheeks

    declension-3 · masculine · poetic
Where this word comes from

Probably inherited from Proto-Indo-European *bʰolǵʰ-n-is, o-grade i-stem derivative of *bʰelǵʰ- (“to swell”) with an *-n- suffix (though De Vaan is skeptical of any etymology and leaves the origin open). Cognates include Sanskrit ब॒र्हिस् (barhís, “straw, sacrificial straw”), Old English belġ (“bulge, bag, purse”) (English belly) and belġan (“to swell with anger”), Old Prussian balsinis (“cushion”) and Old Irish bolg (“belly; bag; bellows”). Or simply from Proto-Indo-European *bʰol-n-is, ultimately from the same root, i.e. *bʰel- (“to blow”), from which *bʰelǵʰ- appears to be derived.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.