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.
6.
a. An airfoil.
b. 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.]
Source
English - one of the most confusing languages in the world!
~Heff
edit on 8/31/12 by Hefficide because: (no reason given)
