QUOIN

corner, quoin

(noun) (architecture) solid exterior angle of a building; especially one formed by a cornerstone

quoin, coign, coigne

(noun) the keystone of an arch

quoin, coign, coigne

(noun) expandable metal or wooden wedge used by printers to lock up a form within a chase

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

quoin (plural quoins)

Any of the corner building blocks of a building, usually larger or more ornate than the surrounding blocks.

The keystone of an arch.

(printing, historical) A metal wedge which fits into the space between the type and the edge of a chase, and is tightened to fix the metal type in place.

(obsolete, nautical) A form of wedge used to prevent casks from moving

(firearms) A wedge of wood or iron put under the breech of heavy guns or the muzzle of siege-mortars to raise them to the proper level.

Synonyms

• (corner block of a building): cornerstone

Verb

quoin (third-person singular simple present quoins, present participle quoining, simple past and past participle quoined)

(transitive) To wedge or steady with quoins.

Source: Wiktionary

Quoin, n. Etym: [See Coin, and cf. Coigne.]

1. (Arch.)

Definition: Originally, a solid exterior angle, as of a building; now, commonly, one of the selected pieces of material by which the corner is marked.

Note: In stone, the quoins consist of blocks larger than those used in the rest of the building, and cut to dimension. In brickwork, quoins consist of groups or masses of brick laid together, and in a certain imitation of quoins of stone.

2. A wedgelike piece of stone, wood metal, or other material, used for various purposes, as: (a) (Masonry)

Definition: to support and steady a stone. (b) (Gun.) To support the breech of a cannon. (c) (Print.) To wedge or lock up a form within a chase. (d) (Naut.) To prevent casks from rolling. Hollow quoin. See under Hollow.

– Quoin post (Canals), the post of a lock gate which abuts against the wall.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition