Link Centre Dictionary

foil

UK/fɔɪl/ US/ˈfɔɪl/ uncommon obsolete
noun (5) verb (3)

noun

1.

a piece of thin and flexible sheet metal

  • “the photographic film was wrapped in foil”
2.

anything that serves by contrast to call attention to another thing''s good qualities

  • “pretty girls like plain friends as foils”
Synonyms
3.

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”
Synonyms
4.

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

Synonyms
5.

verb

1.

enhance by contrast

  • “In this picture, the figures are foiled against the background”
2.

hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of

  • “What ultimately frustrated every challenger was Ruth”
  • “;”
Synonyms
3.

cover or back with foil

  • “foil mirrors”

Origin

From Middle English foyle, from Middle French fueille, from Old French fueille (“plant leaf”), from Late Latin folia, the plural of folium, mistaken as a singular feminine. The literary sense is from the practice of backing a gem with metal foil to make it shine more brilliantly. Doublet of folio and folium, distantly also with phyllo and phyllon.

Phrases

  • aluminum foil
  • bow foil
  • foil razor
  • foil shaver
  • foil stone
  • gold foil
  • tin foil

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See also

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.