folly

Meanings

1. Foolishness that results from a lack of foresight or lack of practicality.
2. Thoughtless action resulting in tragic consequence.
3. A fanciful building built for purely ornamental reasons.

1. To follow.

1. A clump of trees, particularly one on the crest of a hill (or sometimes on a stretch of open ground).

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English folie, from Old French folie (“madness”), from the adjective fol (“mad, insane”).