Single word that unambiguously describes the product of folding

I am writing a scientific paper in which I perform a mathematical operation that is illustratively called folding, which is already an established term. I now want to assign a similarly illustrative name to the product of that folding. This word should refer to the whole folded object (red) and ideally neither be usable for the process of folding (blue) or just the point of folding (crease, green), as this could confuse readers.

I have considered the following words so far:

• fold – while this word can indeed be used for what I need, it can also be used for the point of folding (green). Still, I consider this one of the better choices for now.

• foldth – a neologism in analogy to warm → warmth, break → breach, grow → growth and similar. However, there are also strong → strength, wide → width and similar, which work differently. Being a new word, it cannot be confused for something else but may be confusing due to being new, in particular as the morphology behind this feels rather old and unproductive to me. Also, the ldth sequence may be difficult to pronounce for some (there is no English word containing this sequence).

• folding – fits in analogy to build → building or scaffolding. However, it can also be applied to the process of folding (blue).

• origami – quite illustrative, but not morphologically related to to fold. Also, it might be considered silly by readers.

• foldee – something I would use for someone who is being folded. Yet it does not quite fit for something that is being folded. Moreover it rather describes the object of the folding, not the result (compare to examinee vs. graduate).

• foldery – a neologism in analogy to bake → bakery, flatter → flattery and similar. Does not really fit as I would rather use it for a place where folding happens or for intensive or repeated folding.

• folder – does not really fit as it rather describes somebody or something that folds.

I am wondering whether I missed some better option. Note that I am looking for a single word and I am open to neologisms, if they are intelligible.

Solution 1:

I submit a neologism:

foldation would be to fold as foundation is to found.

Interestingly, I found that found has a meaning I didn’t know before,

verb

melt and mould (metal). fuse (materials) to make glass. make (an article) by melting and moulding metal.

from which meaning the yummy French fondant comes.

The origin of fold is Germanic, not Latin which might explain why there isn’t a word for what you’re talking about. Were it French, we might already have foldant to use, or foldation for that matter.

Solution 2:

How about:

• an accordion, or
• a bellows, or even
• a sylphon

You might also consider @Nair's (now deleted) suggestion:

• a fan

Accordion

An accordion is a well-known musical instrument, distinguished and instantly recognizable for its folded construction:

_{Source: Wikipedia}

It's also the name for a GUI element which can be folded out:

_{Source: Wikipedia}

It's also what happens to hapless coyotes when they fall off high cliffs:

_{Source: Warner Bros / Looney Tunes}

Bellows

Now, of course, the accordion, concretely, is the complete musical instrument: it has valves, and reeds, and sometimes a keyboard. But at its heart lies one element, the one that gives it its characteristic folds: the bellows.

_{Source: Wikipedia}

And bellows, of course, are founded on the principle of folding (and unfolding): they are the specific folded object.

Sylphon

Finally, since you're writing a scientific paper, you might appreciate the sylphon, which is an old name for a specific type of cylindrical metal bellows.

_{Source: helenbellows.ecvv.com}

I suggest it for you specifically because it was popularized in the physics community by the famous physicist John Strong, in his work "Procedures in Experimental Physics".

Fan

Another user, @Nair, had added an answer suggesting fan, but it got deleted. I think that's a fantastic suggestion:

_{Source: fashioncraft.com}

Of course, each of these words shares the drawback you identified for origami: they are not morphologically derived from "fold".

Solution 3:

I really think you're best off sticking with folded object. It is clear and unambiguous—it doesn't need explaining. Why grasp for a neologism that really won't save much space (how many times will you use the term? Five? A dozen? A hundred? Unless you are charged by the word or using gold ink, this shouldn't be a problem.)

However, there is a word you can use (it's normally a suffix, but might be well understood as a noun if you explain it once): plex.

Solution 4:

stack

noun

2. An orderly pile, especially one arranged in layers: a stack of newspapers.

[The Free Dictionary]

Only 42 Folds To The Moon? Yes!

One of my students just can’t wrap his head around the power of exponents. Can you blame him? This week we learned that it would take just 27 folds of a piece of paper for the stack to reach the height of Mount Everest, and then just 15 more –a total of just 42 folds – to reach the moon! As we started the lesson, students guessed “one million” and “47 billion!” folds to reach the moon, so you can imagine the shock (and disbelief) in the actual number 42! Maybe the weirdest part is to think that it would take 41 of the folds to get just half-way to the moon and then just 1 more to make the second half of the journey.

[Scaffolded Math]

Other nouns that might work are pack, bundle.

As suggested by @jxh

continuous form paper

When used to print large continuous documents, they might not be split into separate sheets. By continuously folding two single sided printed sheets back-to-back and binding together a stack of continuous-feed paper along one of the folded edges, it is possible to flip through the stack like a book of double-sided printed pages. With this technique, the stack of papers is normally flipped top to bottom or bottom to top rather than side to side.

[Wikipedia]

Another alternative is to consider the analogy of protein folding, the process by which proteins condense into their native 3D structure.

Folding@home uses Markov state models, like the one diagrammed here, to model the possible shapes and folding pathways a protein can take as it condenses from its initial randomly coiled state (left) into its native 3D structure (right).

[Wikipedia]

This suggests the word "structure", or as suggested by @ChrisH the terms "folded structure" or "resulting structure"

structure

noun

The arrangement of and relations between the parts or elements of something complex

[ODO]

Since you are considering coining a new term, how about

foldenite
 
The result after applying one or more folding transforms.

Etymology

folden + -ite

folden

alternative past participle of fold

[Wiktionary]

and

-ite

suffix

resident of, follower, product of

[LearnThatWord]

Solution 5:

Pleat? It comes from garment-making, and might be appropriate, specifically as it can refer to multiple folds.

definition from Oxford Dictionaries Online:

pleat /plēt/

noun 1. a double or multiple fold in a garment or other item made of cloth, held by stitching the top or side.
synonyms: fold, crease, gather, tuck, crimp; pucker

verb 1. fold into pleats.
"she was absently pleating her skirt between her fingers"
synonyms: fold, crease, gather, tuck, crimp; pucker