foil : Dictionary / Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS, TU Chemnitz)

English Dictionary: foil	by the DICT Development Group
6 results for foil
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
foil n a piece of thin and flexible sheet metal; "the photographic film was wrapped in foil" anything that serves by contrast to call attention to another thing's good qualities; "pretty girls like plain friends as foils" Synonym(s): foil, enhancer 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" Synonym(s): hydrofoil, foil picture consisting of a positive photograph or drawing on a transparent base; viewed with a projector Synonym(s): foil, transparency a light slender flexible sword tipped by a button v enhance by contrast; "In this picture, the figures are foiled against the background" hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of; "What ultimately frustrated every challenger was Ruth's amazing September surge"; "foil your opponent" Synonym(s): thwart, queer, spoil, scotch, foil, cross, frustrate, baffle, bilk cover or back with foil; "foil mirrors"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Foil \Foil\ (foil), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Foiled} (foild); p. pr. & vb. n. {Foiling}.] [F. fouler to tread or trample under one's feet, to press, oppress. See {Full}, v. t.] 1. To tread under foot; to trample. King Richard . . . caused the ensigns of Leopold to be pulled down and foiled under foot. --Knoless. Whom he did all to pieces breake and foyle, In filthy durt, and left so in the loathely soyle. --Spenser. 2. To render (an effort or attempt) vain or nugatory; to baffle; to outwit; to balk; to frustrate; to defeat. And by [?] mortal man at length am foiled. --Dryden. Her long locks that foil the painter's power. --Byron. 3. To blunt; to dull; to spoil; as, to foil the scent in chase. --Addison.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Foil \Foil\, n. [OE. foil leaf, OF. foil, fuil, fueil, foille, fueille, F. feuille, fr. L. folium, pl. folia; akin to Gr. [?], and perh. to E. blade. Cf. {Foliage}, {Folio}.] 1. A leaf or very thin sheet of metal; as, brass foil; tin foil; gold foil. 2. (Jewelry) A thin leaf of sheet copper silvered and burnished, and afterwards coated with transparent colors mixed with isinglass; -- employed by jewelers to give color or brilliancy to pastes and inferior stones. --Ure. 3. Anything that serves by contrast of color or quality to adorn or set off another thing to advantage. As she a black silk cap on him began To set, for foil of his milk-white to serve. --Sir P. Sidney. Hector has a foil to set him off. --Broome. 4. A thin coat of tin, with quicksilver, laid on the back of a looking-glass, to cause reflection. 5. (Arch.) The space between the cusps in Gothic architecture; a rounded or leaflike ornament, in windows, niches, etc. A group of foils is called trefoil, quatrefoil, quinquefoil, etc., according to the number of arcs of which it is composed. {Foil stone}, an imitation of a jewel or precious stone.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Foil \Foil\, v. t. [See 6th {File}.] To defile; to soil. [Obs.]
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Foil \Foil\, n. 1. Failure of success when on the point of attainment; defeat; frustration; miscarriage. --Milton. Nor e'er was fate so near a foil. --Dryden. 2. A blunt weapon used in fencing, resembling a smallsword in the main, but usually lighter and having a button at the point. Blunt as the fencer's foils, which hit, but hurt not. --Shak. Isocrates contended with a foil against Demosthenes with a word. --Mitford. 3. The track or trail of an animal. {To run a foil},to lead astray; to puzzle; -- alluding to the habits of some animals of running back over the same track to mislead their pursuers. --Brewer.
From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (15Feb98) [foldoc]:
FOIL File Oriented Interpretive Language. CAI language. ["FOIL - A File Oriented Interpretive Language", J.C. Hesselbart, Proc ACM 23rd National Conf (1968)].