Multifor or file - how to speak correctly?

A stationery that is called a "file" is a plastic transparent bag that is designed to hold paper and to protect it from any damage. Most often this package is transparent, but sometimes it can be painted in other shades, which, however, still should not deprive the transparency package.

A distinctive feature of this stationery is the perforation on one side - it is performed so that the package can be fastened together with other packages and fastened inside the folder. To do this, you need a special folder, which will have a special mechanism - arched or some other.

It would seem that everything is quite clear, but suddenly the word "multifor" appears, which raises many questions. It turns out that many people just call this stationery.

But which option is correct? A multi-file or a file? How correctly to speak? The answer to this question is not simple and unambiguous, as many would like. The fact is that in a certain context (mostly in the territorial context), both words can be used. But still, what is better to use? A multi-file or a file - how right? This is where the article will help you.

The term "file"

When you are wondering which word is better to use, a multi-file or file, how to speak correctly and what's the difference, you quickly realize that the word "file" is much more common. It is used almost throughout Russia - somewhere in the everyday life there is only it, somewhere it is adjacent to another term.

It should be noted that in some places a derivative of this word is also used - "file". Also in some regions it is customary to say "file". However, this does not yet give an answer to the question, what is better to use - "multi-file" or "file"? How correctly to speak? If you say "file", then you are most likely to be understood almost everywhere. But before you use this word, you need to look at where it came from.

Origin of the term

Naturally, there is no need to be a genius to understand that this word is borrowed from English, where it sounds exactly the same. However, everything is not so simple here - the fact is that this name is rather curious. Files for papers are called in England and America quite differently. But the folder-binder, which is designed to store these transparent packages, is called "file".

Apparently, in the process of word formation, there was some mistake, which eventually settled. And now in Russian, this stationery is called a file, whereas initially it meant not files for papers, but folders for files.

The term "multifora"

However, do not think that the term "file" is used always and everywhere - in Russia there are regions where this concept is known to people. And there are even places where it is the only one that is used on an ongoing basis. One of the most striking examples is Siberia, where if you say in a stationery store that you want to purchase a file, you will not understand, because there this item is called exclusively a cartoon. So if you find yourself in Siberia, then it's better to say in the store that you need, for example, the A4 multi-player.

How did this name come about? Unlike the file, the multifore does not have a clear source, and historians can not agree on what exactly this name came about. So the folder with the multifores sounds much more mysterious than the folder with the files.

Origin of the term

The simplest version is the origin of the term from the Latin word "multifora", which means "multi-parent", that is, the female gender of an object that has many holes. But this is not the only version - many believe that the reason for such popularity of this term beyond the Urals is the fact that there was a company producing and distributing office supplies - and this company was called Multifora.

There are also other language options - for example, the Italian phrase "multi foro" literally translates as "many holes". Someone suggests that the name comes from the English phrase "multi for", which could be translated as "a lot for what", if it really was a word combination. But in fact, this combination is not used in English, so this option is just another attempt to put forward a crazy theory.

The last option looks more realistic, although still inferior to the first two - some people believe that the word "multifora" is an abbreviation for the word "multformat". This version seems logical due to the fact that due to the arrangement of perforated holes on one side, the multifora is suitable for almost any folder-folder. There is also the option that the multi-format means that there are different files - A5, A4, A3 and some others. However, this version looks much less likely. Still, the A5 files are not so popular.

The term "pocket"

Much less popular is the term "pocket", which is used mainly in the west of Russia, closer to the border with Estonia and Latvia, as well as in St. Petersburg. That's where you can hear someone calling this stationery a pocket or a pocket.

Origin of the term

Most likely, this term was due to the peculiarity of this package - most often it is fixed in a folder so that the hole remains on top, and the contents do not fall out. As a result, the file looks like a pocket, and functions exactly the same.