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Foiling

 - 6 dictionary results

foil

1[foil]
–verb (used with object)
1. to prevent the success of; frustrate; balk: Loyal troops foiled his attempt to overthrow the government.
2. to keep (a person) from succeeding in an enterprise, plan, etc.
–noun
3. Archaic. a defeat; check; repulse.

Origin:
1250–1300; ME foilen, < AF foller, OF fuler to trample, full (cloth). See full 2


foil⋅a⋅ble, adjective


1. thwart; impede, hamper.

foil

2[foil]
–noun
1. metal in the form of very thin sheets: aluminum foil.
2. the metallic backing applied to glass to form a mirror.
3. a thin layer of metal placed under a gem in a closed setting to improve its color or brilliancy.
4. a person or thing that makes another seem better by contrast: The straight man was an able foil to the comic.
5. Architecture. an arc or a rounded space between cusps, as in the tracery of a window or other ornamentation.
6. an airfoil or hydrofoil.
–verb (used with object)
7. to cover or back with foil.
8. to set off by contrast.

Origin:
1350–1400; ME foille, foil < OF fuelle, fueille, foille (< L folia leaves), fuel, fueil, foil (< L folium leaf, blade)


4. contrast, complement, counterpart.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Foiling
foil 1   (foil)   
tr.v.   foiled, foil·ing, foils
  1. To prevent from being successful; thwart.

  2. To obscure or confuse (a trail or scent) so as to evade pursuers.

n.   Archaic
  1. A repulse; a setback.

  2. The trail or scent of an animal.


[Middle English foilen, to trample, defile, variant of filen, to defile; see file3.]
foil 2   (foil)   
n.  
  1. A thin, flexible leaf or sheet of metal: aluminum foil.

  2. A thin layer of polished metal placed under a displayed gem to lend it brilliance.

  3. One that by contrast underscores or enhances the distinctive characteristics of another: "I am resolved my husband shall not be a rival, but a foil to me" (Charlotte Brontë).

  4. The reflective metal coating on the back of a glass mirror.

  5. Architecture A curvilinear, often lobelike figure or space formed between the cusps of intersecting arcs, found especially in Gothic tracery and Moorish ornament.

    1. An airfoil.

    2. Nautical A hydrofoil.

tr.v.   foiled, foil·ing, foils
  1. To cover or back with foil.

  2. To set off by contrast.


[Middle English, from Old French foille, from Latin folia, pl. of folium, leaf; see bhel-3 in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

foil  (v.)
c.1300, foilen "to spoil a trace or scent by running over it," from O.Fr. fouler "trample," from V.L. *fullare "to clean cloth" (by treading on it), from L. fullo "one who cleans cloth, fuller," of unknown origin. Sense of "frustrate the efforts of" first recorded 1664.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: foil
Pronunciation: 'foil
Function: noun
: very thin sheet metal (as of gold or platinum) used especially in filling teeth
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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