n. pl. fo·li·os 1. a. A large sheet of paper folded once in the middle, making two leaves or four pages of a book or manuscript. b. A book or manuscript of the largest common size, usually about 38 centimeters (15 inches) in height, consisting of such folded sheets. 2. a. A leaf of a book numbered only on the front side. b. A number on such a leaf. c. A page number. 3. Law A specific number of words used as a unit for measuring the length of the text of a legal document. tr.v. fo·li·oed, fo·li·o·ing, fo·li·os To number consecutively the pages or leaves of (a book, for example). [Middle English, from Late Latin foliō, ablative of folium, leaf of paper, from Latin, leaf; see bhel-3 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
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