FOIL

foil

(noun) a light slender flexible sword tipped by a button

foil

(noun) a piece of thin and flexible sheet metal; “the photographic film was wrapped in foil”

foil, transparency

(noun) picture consisting of a positive photograph or drawing on a transparent base; viewed with a projector

hydrofoil, foil

(noun) a device consisting of a flat or curved piece (as a metal plate) so that its surface reacts to the water it is passing through; “the fins of a fish act as hydrofoils”

foil, enhancer

(noun) anything that serves by contrast to call attention to another thing’s good qualities; “pretty girls like plain friends as foils”

foil

(verb) cover or back with foil; “foil mirrors”

thwart, queer, spoil, scotch, foil, cross, frustrate, baffle, bilk

(verb) hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of; “What ultimately frustrated every challenger was Ruth’s amazing September surge”; “foil your opponent”

foil

(verb) enhance by contrast; “In this picture, the figures are foiled against the background”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Etymology 1

Noun

foil (countable and uncountable, plural foils)

A very thin sheet of metal.

(uncountable) Thin aluminium/aluminum (or, formerly, tin) used for wrapping food.

A thin layer of metal put between a jewel and its setting to make it seem more brilliant.

(authorship, figuratively) In literature, theatre/theater, etc, a character who helps emphasize the traits of the main character and who usually acts as an opponent or antagonist.

(figuratively) Anything that acts by contrast to emphasise the characteristics of something.

(fencing) A very thin sword with a blunted (or foiled) tip

A thin, transparent plastic material on which marks are made and projected for the purposes of presentation. See transparency.

(heraldiccharge) A stylized flower or leaf.

A hydrofoil.

An aerofoil/airfoil.

Synonyms

• (thin aluminium/aluminum): aluminium foil, silver foil, silver paper, tin foil

Verb

foil (third-person singular simple present foils, present participle foiling, simple past and past participle foiled)

(transitive) To cover or wrap with foil.

Etymology 2

Verb

foil (third-person singular simple present foils, present participle foiling, simple past and past participle foiled)

To prevent (something) from being accomplished.

To prevent (someone) from accomplishing something.

To blunt; to dull; to spoil.

(obsolete) To tread underfoot; to trample.

Synonyms

• (prevent from being accomplished): put the kibosh on, scupper, thwart

Noun

foil (plural foils)

Failure when on the point of attainment; defeat; frustration; miscarriage.

One of the incorrect answers presented in a multiple-choice test.

Etymology 3

Noun

foil (plural foils)

(hunting) The track of an animal.

Synonyms

• (track of an animal): spoor

Etymology 4

Verb

foil (third-person singular simple present foils, present participle foiling, simple past and past participle foiled)

(mathematics) To expand a product of two or more algebraic expressions, typically binomials.

Etymology 5

Verb

foil (third-person singular simple present foils, present participle foiling, simple past and past participle foiled)

(obsolete) To defile; to soil.

Anagrams

• Filo, LIFO, filo, lo-fi, lofi

Etymology

Proper noun

FOIL

(mnemonic) An acronym for the algorithm for multiplying two binomials.

Verb

FOIL (third-person singular simple present FOILs, present participle FOILing, simple past and past participle FOILed)

(transitive) To apply the FOIL algorithm to.

Anagrams

• Filo, LIFO, filo, lo-fi, lofi

Source: Wiktionary

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Foil (foil), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Foiled (foild); p. pr. & vb. n. Foiling.] Etym: [F. fouler to tread or trample under one's feet, to press, oppress. See Full, v. t.]

1. To tread under foot; to trample. King Richard . . . caused the ensigns of Leopold to be pulled down and foiled under foot. Knoless. Whom he did all to pieces breake and foyle, In filthy durt, and left so in the loathely soyle. Spenser.

2. To render (an effort or attempt) vain or nugatory; to baffle; to outwit; to balk; to frustrate; to defeat. And by foiled. Dryden. Her long locks that foil the painter's power. Byron.

3. To blunt; to dull; to spoil; as, to foil the scent in chase. Addison.

Foil, v. t. Etym: [See 6th File.]

Definition: To defile; to soil. [Obs.]

Foil, n.

1. Failure of success when on the point of attainment; defeat; frustration; miscarriage. Milton. Nor e'er was fate so near a foil. Dryden.

2. A blunt weapon used in fencing, resembling a smallsword in the main, but usually lighter and having a button at the point. Blunt as the fencer's foils, which hit, but hurt not. Shak. socrates contended with a foil against Demosthenes with a word. Mitford.

3. The track or trail of an animal. To run a foil,to lead astray; to puzzle; -- alluding to the habits of some animals of running back over the same track to mislead their pursuers. Brewer.

Foil, n. Etym: [OE. foil leaf, OF. foil, fuil, fueil, foille, fueille, F. feuille, fr. L. folium, pl. folia; akin to Gr.blade. Cf. Foliage, Folio.]

1. A leaf or very thin sheet of metal; as, brass foil; tin foil; gold foil.

2. (Jewelry)

Definition: A thin leaf of sheet copper silvered and burnished, and afterwards coated with transparent colors mixed with isinglass; -- employed by jewelers to give color or brilliancy to pastes and inferior stones. Ure.

3. Anything that serves by contrast of color or quality to adorn or set off another thing to advantage. As she a black silk cap on him began To set, for foil of his milk- white to serve. Sir P. Sidney. Hector has a foil to set him off. Broome.

4. A thin coat of tin, with quicksilver, laid on the back of a looking-glass, to cause reflection.

5. (Arch.)

Definition: The space between the cusps in Gothic architecture; a rounded or leaflike ornament, in windows, niches, etc. A group of foils is called trefoil, quatrefoil, quinquefoil, etc., according to the number of arcs of which it is composed. Foil stone, an imitation of a jewel or precious stone.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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