foil

See also FOIL

English

Wikipedia

Pronunciation

• IPA: /fɔɪl/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔɪl

Etymology 1

From French feuille (“plant leaf”), from Latin folia, the plural of folium, mistaken as a singular feminine.

Noun

foil (countable and uncountable; plural foils)

1. A very thin sheet of metal.
2. (uncountable) Thin aluminium/aluminum (or, formerly, tin) used for wrapping food.
3. A thin layer of metal put between a jewel and its setting to make it seem more brilliant.
4. (figuratively) In literature, theatre/theater, etc, a character who helps emphasize the traits of the main character.
5. (figuratively) Anything that acts to emphasise the characteristics of something.
6. (fencing) A very thin sword with a blunted (or foiled) tip
7. A thin, transparent plastic material on which marks are made and projected for the purposes of presentation. See transparency.
8. (heraldry) A stylized flower or leaf.
9. Shortened form of hydrofoil.
10. Shortened form of aerofoil/airfoil.

Synonyms

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

Derived terms

• aluminum foil
• cinquefoil
• counterfoil
• quatrefoil
• sexfoil
• tin foil
• trefoil

Translations

thin sheet of metal

• Armenian: նրբաթիթեղ (hy) (nrbatʿitʿeł) 
• Catalan: full (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 金屬薄片 (cmn), 金属薄片 (cmn) (jīnshǔbáopiàn)

• Czech: fólie (cs) f
• Dutch: folie (nl) n
• Finnish: folio (fi)
• French: feuille (fr) f
• Georgian: ფოლგა (ka) (p'olga) 
• German: Folie (de) n

• Greek: έλασμα (el) (élasma) n 
• Japanese: ホイル (ja) (hoiru), フォイル (ja) (foiru), 金属裏張り (ja) (きんぞくうらばり, kinzoku urabari), 箔 (ja) (はく, haku)
• Korean: please add this translation if you can
• Lithuanian: folija (lt) f
• Russian: фольга (ru) (folʹga) f , станиоль (ru) (staniólʹ) m 
• Spanish: lámina de metal (es) f, folio (es) m
• Swedish: folie (sv)
• Turkish: folyo (tr)

thin aluminium/aluminum or tin used for wrapping food

• Catalan: paper d'alumini (ca) m
• Dutch: Aluminiumfolie (nl) f
• Finnish: folio (fi)
• French: papier d'aluminium m, alu m
• German: Aluminiumfolie (de) f
• Greek: αλουμινόχαρτο (el) (alouminócharto) n 

• Italian: carta stagnola f
• Korean: please add this translation if you can
• Lithuanian: folija f
• Russian: фольга (ru) (folʹga) f 
• Spanish: papel de aluminio (es) m
• Swedish: aluminiumfolie (sv)

type of sword used in fencing

• Catalan: floret (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 花劍 (cmn), 花剑 (cmn) (huājiàn)

• Dutch: floret (nl)
• Finnish: floretti (fi)
• French: fleuret (fr) m
• German: Florett (de)
• Greek: ελαφρύ ξίφος ξιφασκίας (el) (elafrý xífos xifaskías) n 
• Italian: fioretto (it) m

• Japanese: フルーレ (ja) (furūre)
• Lithuanian: rapyra (lt) f
• Macedonian: флорет (mk) (florét) m
• Manx: cliwe crammanagh (gv) m
• Portuguese: florete (pt) m
• Russian: рапира (ru) (rapíra) f 
• Spanish: florete (es) m
• Swedish: florett (sv) c

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

• Finnish: folio (fi)
• Hindi: डाक (hi) (ḍāk) m

• Lithuanian: folija f

character who helps emphasise the traits of the main character

• German: Kontrastfigur f

• Italian: spalla (it) f

anything that acts to emphasise the characteristics of something

shortened form of hydrofoil — see hydrofoil

shortened form of aerofoil/airfoil — see aerofoil

Etymology 2

From Middle English foilen (“spoil a scent trail by crossing it”), from French fouler (“tread on, trample”), ultimately from Latin fullo (“clothes cleaner, fuller”).

Verb

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

1. To prevent (something) from being accomplished.
2. To prevent (someone) from accomplishing something.
   • 2011 December 10, David Ornstein, “Arsenal 1 - 0 Everton”, BBC Sport:

     First, former Toffee Mikel Arteta sent Walcott racing clear but instead of shooting he squared towards Ramsey, who was foiled by Tony Hibbert.

Synonyms

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

Translations

prevent from being accomplished

• Dutch: verijdelen (nl), afweren (nl), frustreren (nl)
• Finnish: estää, pilata (pilata suunnitelma)
• French: déjouer (fr)
• German: hintertreiben (de)

• Hungarian: meghiúsít (hu)
• Russian: предотвращать (ru) (predotvraščatʹ)
• Spanish: frustrar (es)

Etymology 3

From French foulis.

Noun

foil (plural foils)

1. (hunting) The track of an animal.
   • 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, Book VII, chapter iv

     […] but after giving her a dodge, here's another b— follows me upon the foil.

Synonyms

• (track of an animal): spoor

Etymology 4

From mnemonic acronym FOIL (“First Outside Inside Last”).

Verb

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

1. (mathematics) To multiply two binomials together.

Translations

to multiply two binomials together

• Dutch: uitwerken (nl)

• Finnish: kertoa (fi)

Anagrams

• Filo, filo, LIFO, lo-fi