Added 10 October 2026
foil
/fɔɪl/ noun
In Latin: bractea Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about foil at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
verb
verb
-
To prevent (something) from being accomplished.
They foiled my plans.
-
To prevent (someone) from accomplishing something.
I was foiled by my superior.
- To blunt; to dull; to spoil.
noun
- Failure when on the point of attainment; defeat; frustration; miscarriage.
- One of the incorrect answers presented in a multiple-choice test.
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.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)