volk

Volk is a German noun meaning "the people" or "the populace," and in some contexts "the nation" or "a cultural community." It is closely related to the English "folk" and Dutch "volk," and derives from Proto-Germanic roots; cognates include English folk and Dutch volk.

In contemporary German, das Volk can refer to the people as a whole, especially in formal or rhetorical contexts. In everyday speech, die Leute or die Bevölkerung are more common. The term also forms the basis of many compounds, such as Volkswirtschaft (national economy), Volkszählung (census), Volkskunst (folk art), or Volkslied (folk song). The prefix Volks- conveys "people's" or "national" in many compounds; the brand name Volkswagen literally means "people's car."

Historically, Volk has been central to nationalistic and ethnocentric ideas. In Nazi Germany, the concept was mobilized to promote a supposed homogeneous Volksgemeinschaft and to exclude or marginalize groups deemed non-Volk, a usage now widely condemned. In postwar German-speaking countries, the word is used with care; its employment can carry political overtones and may be avoided in official discourse.