From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Folk \Folk\ (f[=o]k), Folks \Folks\ (f[=o]ks), n. collect. & pl.
[AS. folc; akin to D. volk, OS. & OHG. folk, G. volk, Icel.
f[=o]lk, Sw. & Dan. folk, Lith. pulkas crowd, and perh. to E.
follow.]
1. (Eng. Hist.) In Anglo-Saxon times, the people of a group
of townships or villages; a community; a tribe. [Obs.]
[1913 Webster]
The organization of each folk, as such, sprang
mainly from war. --J. R. Green.
[1913 Webster]
2. People in general, or a separate class of people; --
generally used in the plural form, and often with a
qualifying adjective; as, the old folks; poor folks.
[Colloq.]
[1913 Webster]
In winter's tedious nights, sit by the fire
With good old folks, and let them tell thee tales.
--Shak.
[1913 Webster]
3. The persons of one's own family; as, our folks are all
well. [Colloq. New Eng.] --Bartlett.
[1913 Webster]
{Folk song}, one of a class of songs long popular with the
common people.
{Folk speech}, the speech of the common people, as
distinguished from that of the educated class.
[1913 Webster]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
folks
n 1: your parents; "he wrote to his folks every day"
2: people in general (often used in the plural); "they're just
country folk"; "folks around here drink moonshine"; "the
common people determine the group character and preserve its
customs from one generation to the next" [syn: {folk},
{folks}, {common people}]
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