follower 
follower (fol'o-er), w. [< ME. "folwere, foluer, 
< AS. folgere (=* OFries. foltjerc = D. MLtr. 
volge r = OHG. folgari, MHG. volaaire, G. folger 
= ^Lfylgjari = Dan. (efter-tfiilger = Sw. (<?/- 
ter-Vfiljare), a follower, attendant, < foigtam, 
follow: Bee/oHow.] 1. One who follows an- 
other, iu any sense of the verb/oBoto. In particu- 
lar {) One who follows or accompanies a master or leader 
as servant, attendant, dependent, associate, or supporter. 
I haue ben his fol tear nl this fifty w j -litre ; 
Bothe ysowen his sede and sued his bestes. 
Piers Plowman (B), v. 549. 
Else the lady's mad : yet, if 'twere no, 
She could notswayher house, command her jMomn, . . . 
With such a smooth, discreet, and staMe bearmg^ ^ ^ 
My lord, cheer up your spirits ; our foes are nigh, 
And this soft courage makes yam followers faint. 
SnaK., 3 Hen. vi,, 11. ,, 
ft) One who follows a master or teacher as a disciple or 
adherent : one who takes another as his guide in doc- 
trines, opinion, or example, or an adherent of a particu- 
lar doctrine or system. 
So that they all three do plead God's omnlpotency, . . . 
the followers of consubstantiation to the kneading up of 
both substances as it were into one lump. 
Hooker, Eccles. Polity, v. 67. 
(c) One who follows in practice the conduct, course, or ex- 
ample of another ; one who conforms his conduct or course 
to that of some person or thing regarded as a model or 
pattern ; an imitator : as, Terence was a follower of Me- 
nander. 
Followers of them who through faith and patience in- 
herit the promises. Heb. vi. 12. 
(d) A man who "keeps company " with a young woman ; 
especially, one who is in the habit of calling upon a maid- 
servant to pay his addresses ; a beau. [Colloq.l 
Mrs. Marker . . . offers eighteen guineas. . . . Five ser- 
vants kept. No man. No followers. 
Dickens, Nicholas Nickleby, xv. 
2. In mach., any part of a machine moving in 
a limited range, as in guides, and following the 
motion of another part. 3. In a steam-engine, 
the cover of a piston or of a stuffing-box. 
follower-plate (fol'o-er-plat), n. In mach., a 
plate serving as a follower. 
following (fol'o-ing), . [Verbal n. of follow, >.] 
1. A body of followers, retainers, attendants, 
or supporters ; the adherents, disciples, or imi- 
tators of a particular leader or system, consid- 
ered collectively ; the persons composing a sect 
or party that follows the lead of a chief, or is 
devoted to the same cause, body of principles, 
or system of teaching or action. 
While burghers, with important face, 
Described each new-come lord, 
Discussed his lineage, told his name, 
His following, and his feudal fame. 
Scoff, Marmion, v. 6. 
The Queen . . . took her hand, call'd her sweet sister, 
and kiss'd not her alone, but all the ladies of her following. 
Tennysoit, Queen Mary, 1. 1. 
With a small foltomnn of servants, he reached Naples. 
C. D. Warner, Koundabout Journey, vi. 
2. What one follows as an occupation or trade ; 
vocation; calling; occupation. [Rare.] 
In every age men in general attend more to their own 
immediate pursuits tuu\ fallowings than to the . . . claims 
at discontented factions. 
S. Turner, Hist. Eng. during Middle Ages, vil. 5. 
following (fol'o-ing), p. a. [Ppr. of follow, v.~\ 
1. Immediately succeeding; coming next in 
order; ensuing: as, during the following week. 
And euery Ifre sower shall paye, euery yere vij. yere ml- 
ID/IK; to the ffyndyng of a prest, iiij. d. 
English Gilds (E. E. T. S.), p. 324. 
The Mondaye/oiow.i/n.7e, that was the daye of Viti and 
Modesti, and the .xvj'. day of June. 
Sir R. Omjlforde, Pylgrymage, p. 7. 
2. That is now to follow; now to be related, 
set forth, described, or explained : as, the fol- 
lowing story I can vouch for ; in the following 
order. 
Mv friend answered what I said in the /allowing man- 
ner/ SteeU, Spectator, No. 152. 
followinglyt (fol'o-ing-li), adv. In what fol- 
lows; immediately; next. 
So that we come to him the way that he hath appointed ; 
which way is Jesus Christ only, we shall see fottominaly. 
Tyndale, Ans. to Sir T. More, etc. (Parker Soc., 1850), 
[p. 274. 
following-time (fol'o-ing-tim), . A wet sea- 
son, when showers follow one another in rapid 
succession. [Prov. Eng.] 
folly (fol'i), n.; pi. follies (-iz). [< ME.folye, 
folie, < OF. folie, folly, foolishness, indiscre- 
tion, wantonness, F. folie, folly, also madness, 
lunacy (= Pr. folia, follia, folhia, fulhia = Sp. 
(obs.)/oKa = It. follia), < OF. fol, fool, foolish : 
see /ooZ 1 .] 1. The character or conduct of a 
fool; the state of being foolish; weakness of 
judgment or character, or actions which spring 
145 
2305 
from it; want of understanding ; weak or light- 
minded conduct. 
He that reproveth or chydeth a fool for his/oifc. 
Chaucer, Tale of Melibeus. 
1'atriarkes and prophetcs repreued her science, 
\nU seiden, her wordes ne her wisdomes was but .fol</e. 
Piers Plomnan (B), xn. i:i9. 
What folly 'tis to hazard >', A , ,,, 5 . 
What Folli/ must in such Expence appear ! 
Cungreve, tr. of Ovid's Art of Love. 
2. Something regard for or attention to which 
is foolish. 
The things which so long experience of all ages hath 
confirmed and made profitable let not us presume to con- 
demn as follies and toys, because we sometimes know not 
the cause and reason of them. 
Hooker, Eccles. Polity, iv. 1. 
Specifically 3f. Conduct morally bad; wick- 
edness; wantonness. 
Sche hadde meche Tresoure abouten hire : and lie trow- 
ed, that sche hadde ben a comouu Woman, that dwelled 
there to resceyve Men to Folye. 
Mandeville, Travels, p. 24. 
4. A costly structure or other undertaking left 
unfinished for want of means, too expensive 
to be properly maintained, built in a very ill- 
chosen place, or the like ; an enterprise that 
exhausts or ruins the projector. 
They saw an object amidst the woods on the edge of the 
hill which upon enquiry they were told was called Shen- 
tttone's folly. Grams, Spiritual Quixote, ix. 7. 
We know indeed how this scorn will embody itself in a 
name given to the unfinished structure. It Is called this 
or that man's folly; and the name of the foolish builder 
is thus kept alive for long after-years. 
Aop. Trench, Westminster Abbey Sermons, p. 130. 
=Syn. 1 Nonsense, foolishness, senselessness, ridiculous- 
ness, extravagance, indiscretion, imbecility. See list un- 
der absurdity. 
folly (fol'i), v. i.; pret. and pp./oBfad, ppr./- 
lying. [< Jolly, .] To act with folly; act fool- 
ishly. [Rare.] 
Let me shun 
Such/o(J!/in7 before thee. Keats, Endymlon, 1. 
follyt, -. [ME., also folliclie, foly (mod. as if 
"foolly), <fol, fool, + -ly, -liche, E. -lyi.] Foolish. 
Than bring they to her remembraunce 
The foly dedes of her enfaunce. 
Rmn. of the Rose, 1. 5006. 
Job synnede not with his lippis, none my foly thing ajen 
God spac. Wyclif, Job i. 22 (Oxf.). 
folmardet, An obsolete variant otfoulmart. 
foltt [ME. folte, contr. of folet, < OF. folet, 
dim', of fol, a, fool: see folet.} A fool. Prompt. 
Pan., p. 169. 
foltt v. i. [ME., <folt, n. Of. OF. enfoletir, act 
foolishly.] To act like a fool. Prompt. Pan:, 
foltedt, p. a- [ME., < folt + -ed*.} Foolish ; 
Fendes crepte tho ymages witheinne, 
And l&Afolted men to synne. 
Cursor Iffundi, 1. 2304. 
Shrewes mysdede hym ful ofte, 
And helde hym foiled or wode. 
MS. Harl., 1701, f. 39. (Halhwell.) 
foltheadt, [ME. foltheed; < folt + -head.'} 
Folly. 
That non at joure nede joure name wolde nempne 
In ffersnesse ne in /oltheed, but ffaste file away-ward. 
Richard the Redelesg, ii. 7. 
foltisht, " [ME., also foltisch; < folt, n., + 
-is/t 1 .] Foolish. 
Wher God hath not maad the wysdom of this worlde 
foltisch. WydV, 1 Cor. i. 20 (Oxf.). 
A Follysshe face, rude of eloquence, 
Bostys with borias, and [at] a brownte wul flee. 
Booke of Precedence (E. E. T. S., extra ser.), i. 81. 
foltryet, [ME.; <folt + -ry.} Foolish- 
ness. Prompt. Pan., p. 169. 
folweH, v. A Middle English form of follow. 
folwe 2 t, v. t. A Middle English form offulfi. 
folyt a. and a. A Middle English form of 
folly. 
fbmentt, [< L. fomentum, a warm lotion or 
poultice, a mitigation, alleviation, nourishment, 
eontr. of "fovimentum, < fovere, warm, keep 
warm, foment.] A warm lotion; fomentation. 
That [ointment] was not vnpleasaunt to our Lorde : but 
those superfluous sauors & fomentes of the body, which the 
more it is cherished, the more it riseth & rebelleth against 
the soul. Vives, Instruction of a Christian Woman, ii. 9. 
foment (fo-menf), v. t. [< F. fomenter = Pr. 
Sp. Pg. fomentar = It. fomentare, < L. fomen- 
tare, foment, < fomentum, a warm lotion or poul- 
tice : see foment, n.} 1 . To apply warm lotions 
to ; bathe with warm medicated liquids or warm 
water. 
Creeps Cliillness on him? She foments and heats 
His flesh but more profoundly burns her own. 
J. Beaumont, Psyche, 1. 155. 
fon 
For whether he cauterize or foment, whether he draw 
blood or apply cordials, he is the same physician, and 
seeks but one end (our spiritual health) by his divers 
wa y g Donne, Sermons, xxiv. 
2. To cherish with heat ; encourage or promote 
the growth of by or as if by heat. [Rare.] 
Every kind that lives, 
Fviatntcd by his virtual power, and warm'd. 
Milton, P. L., xl. 338. 
3. To encourage; abet; instigate or promote 
by incitement : commonly used iu a bad sense : 
as, to foment discord. 
The Swedes bear up still, being fomented and supported 
by the French. Uowell, Letters, I. vl. 8. 
Proud Egypt would dissembled friendship bring ; 
Foment the war, but not support the king. 
Dryden, Abs. and Achit., I. 284. 
The spirit of maritime enterprise was fomented, and 
greatly facilitated in its operation, by the invention of the 
astrolabe. Prescott, Ferd. and Isa., i. 16. 
fomentation (fo-men-ta'shon), n. [= F. fo- 
mentation = Pr. fomentacio = Sp. fomentation 
= Pg. fomcntaqSo = It. fomentazione, < L. fo- 
mentatio(n-), < fomentare, foment: see foment.'] 
1 . The act of heating, warming, or cherishing ; 
warmth. 
The temper'd heat, 
Friendly to vital motion, may afford 
Soft fomentation, and invite the seed. 
Cowper, Task, iii. 510. 
2. In med. : (a) The act of applying warm li- 
quids to a part of the body, by means of flan- 
nels or other cloths dipped in them. (6) The 
liquid thus applied. 
Fomentations properly be devises for to be applied unto 
any affected part, either to comfort and to cherish it, or to 
allay the paine, or else to open the pores to make way for 
ointments and piastres. 
Holland, tr. of Pliny, Explanation of Words of Art. 
3. Excitation; instigation; encouragement. 
And dive in science for distinguished names, 
Dishonest fomentation of your pride ! 
Ymmy, Night Thoughts, v. 
Dry fomentation, in med., an application to a part of 
the tody of something warm and dry, as hot flannel, etc. 
fomenter (fo-men'ter), n. 1. One who foments; 
one who encourages or instigates: commonly 
in a bad sense: as, & fomenter of sedition. 
A perpetual fomenter and nourisher of sin. 
Hales, Golden Remains, p. 25. 
They [vicars] would not then have become the authors 
and fomenters of all that discord and confusion. 
Bp. Atterbury, Sermons, I. ix. 
The small English community was little amenable to the 
authority of the king's Government, and appears to have 
been the main foment ert, for purposes of gain, of disorder 
among the native Irish. Contemporary Rei\, XLIX. 567. 
2. A device for applying heat to any part of 
the body, consisting usually of a tin vessel made 
to contain hot water, and shaped as its purpose 
requires. 
fomes (fo'mez), n.; pi. fomites (fo mi-tez). 
[L. , kindling-wood, touchwood, tinder, < fovere, 
warm, keep warm : see foment.} 1. In med., 
any porous substance capable of absorbing and 
retaining contagion. 
The most important fomites are bed-clothes, bedding, 
woollen garments, carpets, curtains, letters, etc. 
Quam, Med. Diet. 
2. [cap.] [NL.] In myeotogy, a subgenus of 
Polyporus, or, according to some authors, a 
genus of Polyporei, composed of perennial in- 
durated species. 
font, and a. [ME. fon, forme, fool (also as 
adj.), < Svf.fdne, a fool (fania, foolish), = Icel. 
fdni, " a buoyant, high-flying person "(Cleasby 
and Vigfusson), a metaphorical use (according 
to the same authority) of fdni, a standard, 
= AS. fana, E. fane, vane : see flute*, vane. 
Hence fond?, q.v.] I. w. A fool; a simpleton; 
an idiot. 
By God, thou is a/on. Chaucer, Reeve's Tale, 1. 169. 
Thus longe where have ye lent? 
Certes, walkyd aboute lyk a fon, 
I wist never what I incut. 
Tovmeley Mysteries, p. 80. 
Thou art a fon of thy love to boste, 
All that is lent to love wyll be lost. 
Spenser, Shep. Cal., February. 
II. a. Foolish; simple; silly. 
This knyght weddid a woman of the kynrede of Levi, 
but she was fon and bitter. Gesta Komanoritm, p. 242. 
font v. i. [ME. fonnen, < fon, a fool ; most com- 
mon in the m>.fonned,fond, as adj.: see fond*, 
a. and v.} To be foolish or simple: act like a 
fool; dote. 
When age approchith on, . . . 
Than thoue shalte begynne to/on, 
And dote in love. Court of Love, 1. 458. 
Herk, syrs, ye fon, I shalle you teche. 
Tawaeley 3Iysterus, p. 94. 
What, thu fonnyst as a best ? Coventry Mysteries, p. 86. 
