Emily Dickinson Lexicon

FOL-LIC'U-LOUS, a.

Having or producing follicles.

FOL'LI-FUL, a.

Full of folly. [Not used.] Shenstone.

FOL'LOW, v.i.

1. To come after another. The famine – shall follow close after you. Jer. xlii.
2. To attend; to accompany. Shak.
3. To be posterior in time; as following ages.
4. To be consequential, as effect to cause. From such measures, great mischiefs must follow.
5. To result, as an inference. The facts may be admitted, but the inference drawn from them does not follow. To follow on, to continue pursuit or endeavor; to persevere. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord. Hosea vi.

FOL'LOW, v.t. [Sax. folgian, filian, fylgan. D. volgen; G. folgen; Dan. fölger; Sw. följa; Ir. foilcanam. The sense is, to urge forward, drive, press. Class Bl, No. 14, 46.]

1. To go after or behind; to walk, ride or move behind, but in the same direction. Soldiers will usually follow a brave officer.
2. To pursue; to chase; as an enemy, or as game.
3. To accompany; to attend in a journey. And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode on the camels, and followed the man. Gen. xxiv.
4. To accompany; to be of the same company; to attend, for any purpose. Luke v.
5. To succeed in order of time; to come after; as, a storm is followed by a calm. Signs following signs lead on the mighty year. Pope.
6. To be consequential; to result from, as effect from a cause. Intemperance is often followed by disease or poverty, or by both.
7. To result from, as an inference or deduction. It follows from these facts that the accused is guilty.
8. To pursue with the eye; to keep the eyes fixed on a moving body. He followed or his eyes followed the ship, till it was beyond sight. He followed with his eyes the fleeting shade. Dryden.
9. To imitate; to copy; as, to follow a pattern or model; to follow fashion.
10. To embrace; to adopt and maintain; to have or entertain like opinions; to think or believe like another; as, to follow the opinions and tenets of a philosophic sect; to follow Plato.
11. To obey; to observe; to practice; to act in conformity to. It is our duty to follow the commands of Christ. Good soldiers follow the orders of their general; good servants follow the directions of their master.
12. To pursue as an object of desire; to endeavor to obtain. Follow peace with all men. Heb. xii.
13. To use; to practice: to make the ehief business; as, to follow the trade of a carpenter; to follow the profession of law.
14. To adhere to; to side with. The house of Judah followed David. 2 Sam. ii.
15. To adhere to; to honor; to worship; to serve. If the Lord be God, follow him. 1 Kings xviii.
16. To be led or guided by. Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit, and here seen nothing. Ezek. xiii.
17. To move on in the same course or direction; to be guided by; as, to follow a track or course.

FOL'LOW-ED, pp.

Pursued; succeeded; accompanied; attended; imitated; obeyed; observed; practiced; adhered to.

FOL'LOW-ER, n.

1. One who comes, goes or moves after another, in the same course.
2. One that takes another as his guide in doctrines, opinions or example; one who receives the opinions, and imitates the example of another; an adherent; an imitator. That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who, through faith and patience, inherit the promises. Heb. vi.
3. One who obeys, worships and honors. Be ye followers of God, as dear children. Eph. v.
4. An adherent; a disciple; one who embraces the same system, as, a follower of Plato.
5. An attendant; a companion; an associate or a dependent. The warrior distributed the plunder among his followers. No follower, but a friend. Pope.
6. One under the command of another. Spenser. Dryden.
7. One of the same faction or party.

FOL'LOW-ING, a.

Being next after; succeeding.

FOL'LOW-ING, ppr.

Coming or going after or behind; pursuing; attending; imitating; succeeding in time; resulting from as an effect or an inference; adhering to; obeying, observing; using, practicing; proceeding in the same course.

FOL'LY, n. [Fr. folie, from fol, fou; Arm. follez; It. follia. See Fool.]

1. Weakness of intellect; imbecility of mind; want of understanding. A fool layeth open his folly. Prov. xiii.
2. A weak or absurd act not highly criminal; an act which is inconsistent with the dictates of reason, or with the ordinary rules of prudence. In this sense it may be used in the singular, but is generally in the plural. Hence we speak of the follies of youth. Whom folly pleases, or whose follies please. Pope.
3. An absurd act which is highly sinful; any conduct contrary to the laws of God or man; sin; scandalous crimes; that which violates moral precepts and dishonors the offender. Shechem wrought folly in Israel. Achan wrought folly in Israel. Gen. xxxiv. Josh vii.
4. Criminal weakness; depravity of mind. Johnson.

FO'MA-HANT, n.

A star of the first magnitude, in the constellation Aquarius. Encyc.

FO-MENT', v.t. [L. fomento, from foveo, to warm; Fr. fomenter; Sp. fomentar; It. fomentare.]

1. To apply warm lotions to; to bathe with warm medicated liquors, or with flannel dipped in warm water.
2. To cherish with heat; to encourage growth. [Not usual.] Milton.
3. To encourage; to abet; to cherish and promote by excitements; in a bad sense; as, to foment ill humors. Locke. So we say, to foment troubles or disturbances; to foment intestine broils.

FO-MENT-A'TION, n.

1. The act of applying warm liquors to a part of the body, by means of flannels dipped in hot water or medicated decoctions, for the purpose of easing pain, by relaxing the skin, or of discussing tumors. Encyc. Quincy.
2. The lotion applied, or to be applied to a diseased part. Arbuthnot.
3. Excitation; instigation; encouragement. Wotton.

FO-MENT'ED, pp.

Bathed with warm lotions; encouraged.

FO-MENT'ER, n.

One who foments; one who encourages or instigates; as, a fomenter of sedition.

FO-MENT'ING, ppr.

1. Applying warm lotions.
2. Encouraging; abetting; promoting.

FON, n. [Chaucer, fonne, a fool; Ice. faane.]

A fool; an idiot. [Obs.] Spenser.

FOND, a. [Chaucer, fonne, a fool; Scot. fon, to play the fool; fone, to fondle, to toy; Ir. fonn, delight, desire, a longing. Qu. Ar. أَفَنَ afana, which signifies to diminish, to impair mental powers, to make foolish, to be destitute of reason; and فَنِي fani, is to fail. These are the most probable affinities I have been able to find.]

1. Foolish; silly; weak; indiscreet; imprudent. Grant I may never prove so fond / To trust man on his oath or bond. Shak. Fond thoughts may fall into some idle brain. Davies.
2. Foolishly tender and loving; doting; weakly indulgent; as, a fond mother or wife. Addison.
3. Much pleased; loving ardently; delighted with. A child is fond of play; a gentleman is fond of his sports, or of his country seat. In present usage, fond does not always imply weakness or folly.
4. Relishing highly. The epicure is fond of high-seasoned food. Multitudes of men are too fond of strong drink.
5. Trifling; valued by folly. [Little used.] Shak.

FOND, v.i.

To be fond of; to be in love with; to dote on. [Little used.] Shak.

FOND, v.t.

To treat with great indulgence or tenderness; to caress; to cocker. The Tyrian hugs and fonds thee on her breast. Dryden. Fond is thus used by the poets only. We now use fondle.

FOND'LE, v.t.

To treat with tenderness; to caress; as, a nurse fondles a child.

FOND'LED, pp.

Treated with affection; caressed.

FOND'LER, n.

One who fondles.

FOND'LING, n.

A person or thing fondled or caressed. L'Estrange.

FOND'LING, ppr.

Caressing; treating with tenderness.

FOND'LY, adv.

1. Foolishly; weakly; imprudently; with indiscreet affection. Fondly we think we merit honor then, / When we but praise ourselves in other men. Pope.
2. With great or extreme affection. We fondly embrace those who are dear to us.