foil
noun/fɔɪl/
Etymology 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.
12 senses
- 1A very thin sheet of metal.
- 2A very thin sheet of plastic.
- 3Thin aluminium/aluminum (or, formerly, tin) used for…
- 4A thin layer of metal put between a jewel and its…
- 5In literature, theatre/theater, etc., a character who…
- 6Anything that acts by contrast to emphasise the…
- 7A very thin sword with a blunted (or foiled) tip.
- 8A thin, transparent plastic material on which marks are…
- 9A premium trading card with a glossy finish.
- 10A stylized flower or leaf.
- 11Clipping of hydrofoil.
- 12Clipping of aerofoil/airfoil.
A very thin sheet of metal.
A very thin sheet of plastic.
Chiefly Euro English
Thin aluminium/aluminum (or, formerly, tin) used for wrapping food.
- wrap the sandwich up in foil
A thin layer of metal put between a jewel and its setting to make it seem more brilliant.
Authorship, Broadcasting, Communications, Film, Journalism, Literature, Media, Publishing, Television, Writing 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, but can also serve as the sidekick of the protagonist.
- Whereas the female invests heavily in the wake of conception, the male invests heavily prior to conception. Hitherto, the male has been regarded as the mere foil to the heavy investment in reproduction that renders the female the logjam (the limiting factor) in reproduction – reproduction overall is expandable by increasing the number of females, not by increasing the number of males.2019, Steve Paul Moxon, “The Sexes Serve to Purge Mutations by Selection on Males, Boosting the Function of Sex to Maintain Genomic Integrity]”, in New Male Studies, volume 8, number 1, pages 46–47 of 25–51, archived from the original on 06 Aug 2021:
- As Puss comes to realize his legendary status is not a substitute for interpersonal connection, his interactions with Kitty and the therapy dog start to take on a surprising amount of weight, while Goldilocks serves as a well-realized foil who has more in common with Puss that is at first apparent.2022 December 20, Leigh Monson, “Puss In Boots: The Last Wish review: Antonio Banderas leads the best film yet in the Shrek franchise”, in AV Club, archived from the original on 14 Mar 2023:
Figuratively Anything that acts by contrast to emphasise the characteristics of something.
- As she a black silk cap on him begun / To set, for foil of his milk-white to serve.a. 1587, Philippe Sidnei [i.e., Philip Sidney], “(please specify the folio)”, in [Fulke Greville; Matthew Gwinne; John Florio], editors, The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia [The New Arcadia], London: […] [John Windet] for William Ponsonbie, published 1590, →OCLC:
- 1725-1726, William Broome, The Odyssey Hector has also a foil to set regard
Fencing, Government, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Martial arts, Military, Politics, Sports, War A very thin sword with a blunted (or foiled) tip.
- Blunt as the fencer's foils, which hit, but hurt not.1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]:
- 1784-1810, William Mitford, History of Greece Socrates contended with a foil against Demosthenes with a sword.
1 more example
- The country’s fencing federation has officially recognised lightsaber duelling as a competitive sport, granting the weapon from George Lucas’s space saga the same status as the foil, epee and sabre, the traditional blades used at the Olympics.2019 February 19, “Lightsaber duelling registered as official sport in France”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 08 Nov 2020:
A thin, transparent plastic material on which marks are made and projected for the purposes of presentation. See transparency.
A premium trading card with a glossy finish.
- I personally would collect all the foils from Base Set before this one, but the market is what the market is.2016, Pojo's Unofficial Big Book of Pokémon, Triumph Books:
Government, Heraldry, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Monarchy, Nobility, Politics A stylized flower or leaf.
Aerodynamics, Aeronautics, Aerospace, Aviation, Business, Engineering, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Physics Abbreviation, Clipping Clipping of aerofoil/airfoil.
- Synonyms
- aluminium foil, silver foil, silver paper, tin foil
- Derived terms
28 terms
aluminum foil, biofoil, blisterfoil, bow foil, cephalofoil, cinquefoil, counterfoil, dufoil, F50, featherfoil, foilboard, foilist, foil razor, foil shaver, foilsman, foil stone, gold foil, holofoil, jetfoil, octofoil, quatrefoil, rockfoil, rushfoil, sexfoil, tin foil, tinfoil, trefoil, twifoil