Forms: 4–7 foil(l)e, 4–8 foyl(l)e, (5 fole, 7 fyle), 5– foil. [a. OF. foil, fuil, fueil masc. (= Pr. folh, fuoill, It. foglio:—L. folium leaf, cogn. with Gr. φῦλλον), and OF. foille, fueille fem. (mod.F. feuille, = Pr. folha. foilla, Sp. hoja, It. foglia:—L. folia, pl. of folium). The fem. sb., originally collective, has superseded the masc. in all mod. Rom. langs., except that It. foglio remains in the sense ‘leaf of a book.’]
† 1. A leaf (of a plant). Obs.
14[?]. Lydg., Balade of our Ladie, vi.
| O closit, gardin, voide of wedis wicke, | |
| Cristallin welle, of clerenesse clere consigned, | |
| Fructified oliue of foiles faire and thicke, | |
| And redolent cedre most dere worthy digned! |
c. 1420. Pallad. on Husb., V. 142.
| Oilviolet to make attende: of oil | |
| As many pounde, asmany unces take | |
| Of violette, not but oonly the foil. |
c. 1450. Two Cookery-bks., II. 102. Wete faire foiles of parcely in vinegre, and caste hem vppon þe salmon in the dissh.
† b. With allusion to the annual fall of the leaf: A year. Cf. Fr. vin de deux, trois feuilles. Obs.–1
1481. Caxton, Tully’s Friendsh., iv. Ffor frendship fareth as wine, which may be kepte many yeres, ffor the more foylles that the wyne is of, the more plesaunt it is in drynkyng.
2. The representation of a leaf. a. Her.
1562. Legh, Armorie (1597), 95. The field Azure, iij. Caterfoyls Or, Slipped argent. This though it be termed a foyle, yet is it a flower by the name of the primrose.
b. Arch. One of the small arcs or spaces between the cusps of a window. Foil arch (see quot. 1891).
1835. R. Willis, Archit. Mid. Ages, 195. Favorite forms of pannels in the Italian Gothic, which may be described as multifoils, with the foils alternately round and angular.
1849. Freeman, Archit., 344. Foil arches are doubtless one of the Arabian features of the style; both these and foil figures occur, and were probably introduced together, and that very early, for, as we have seen, they occur in Transitional work.
1891. Adeline’s Art Dict., Foil Arch. (Arch.) A foil arch is an arch made of our several smaller arches or foils.
† 3. By analogy: Anything flat and thin. Obs.
a. A thin layer (of any material), a leaf, paring.
c. 1390[?]. Form of Cury, in Warner, Antiq. Culin. (1791), 18. Take and make a thynne foyle of dowh, and kerve it in pieces, and cast hem on boillyng water, and seeth it wele.
1450. Two Cookery-bks., II. 96. Cast there-on almondes blanched, and foyles of tried ginger pared, and set hit in a colde place, and lete hit gele.
1601. Holland, Pliny, I. 493. The mast-Holme also may be cut into fine thin foile or leaues like plates.
b. A leaf (of paper).
1528. Will of J. Parke (Somerset Ho.). Paper conteynyng vj foyles or leves.
c. A counterfoil.
a. 1483. Liber Niger, in Househ. Ord. (1790), 69. He to recorde the foylles of provision weekely, and truly to make thereof entrey.
1511–2. Act 3 Hen. VIII., c. 23 § 3. The same Barons … [shall] cause the Chamberleyn of the said Courte to joyne the said tailes and every of theim with and to their foile or foiles.
1601. F. Tate, Househ. Ord. Edw. II., § 40 (1876), 23. He shal receve & write the foilles of the tallies & names of them that sel the bred.
1738. Sir G. Gilbert, Hist. Crt. Excheq., v. 91. They shewed him their Tallies of Payment below, the Foils of which were likewise entred by the Chamberlains in their Books.
4. As a substance (without pl.): Metal hammered or rolled into a thin sheet; often with the name of a metal prefixed; as, gold-, silver-, tin-foil.
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., XVI. iv. (Tollem. MS.). Golde … bitwene þe anfelde and þe hamoure with oute breakynge … streccheþ in to golde foyle.
c. 1430. Two Cookery-bks., I. 27. When þou dressyst forth, plante it with foyle of Syluer.
1519. Horman, Vulg., 236 b. Makers and leyers of golde foyle occupie a boris tothe.
1598. Stow, Surv., vii. (1603), 53. Fine siluer, such as was then made into foyle.
1685. Cole, Lett. to Ray, in Ray’s Lett. (1718), 197. Some not half an Inch, and as thin as a Groat, and so proportionably up to the largest, cover’d with a Superficies as thin, and exactly of the Colour of Silver Foil.
1794. N. E. Kindersley, Hindoo Lit., Hist. Nella-Rajah, 117. The soothing hum of the beautiful voondoo. Note. A beautiful species of beetle. Its body exhibits a variety of lively hues, while the wings, generally of a mixed green and yellow, have the appearance of foil.
1838. T. Thomson, Chem. Org. Bodies, 373. When heated on platinum foil it [indigo] gives a beautiful purple smoke.
1871. Tyndall, Fragm. Sc., I. ii. 47. Blackened zinc foil, when brought into the focus of invisible rays, is instantly caused to blaze.
fig. 1610. G. Fletcher, Christ’s Vict., On Earth, 18.
| Soone the old Palmer his devotions sung, | |
| Like pleasing anthems, moduled in time, | |
| For well that aged Syre could tip his tongue | |
| With golden foyle of eloquence, and lime. |
b. A sheet of the same (in modern use an amalgam of tin and quicksilver) placed behind the glass of a mirror, to produce a reflexion.
a. 1583. W. Bourne, Prop. Glasses, i. in Rara Math. (1838), 35. Lookinge Glasses … are those sortes of Glasses, that have a ffoyle, layde on the backe syde thereof.
1625. B. Jonson, The Staple of Newes, V. i.
| I now begin to see my vanity, | |
| Shine in this Glasse, reflected by the foile! |
1662. J. Bargrave, Pope Alex. VII. (1867), 131. The isinglass having a foyle of quicksilver and pewter put behind it, like a lookingglass, will afterward easily bend to the cylindrical piece of wood that you would fasten it to, and rendereth an excellennt lustre, better than the steel.
1832. G. R. Porter, Porcelain & Gl., 210. The art of properly effecting this deposit of the glass upon the foil consists in holding it, during its sliding, in such a position that it will dip into the mercury.
c. In wider sense: A backing.
1684. R. Waller, Nat. Exper., 42. To manifest whether the Air be that which serving as a Foile to the lower Superficies of a Lens of Glass, reflects that second Image inverted more dimly and faintly which we see of a Flame, or any other Object Visible there, as Kepler thinks it is.
1859. Gullick & Timbs, Paint., 13. Silver likewise served as a foil over which yellow and other colours ground with oil were glazed.
1879. Cassell’s Techn. Educ., IV. 403/1. The foundation colour should form a foil for that which is inlaid on it.
5. A thin leaf of some metal placed under a precious stone to increase its brilliancy or under some transparent substance to give it the appearance of a precious stone.
c. 1592. Marlowe, Jew of Malta, II. ii. Lod. What sparkle does it [the diamond] give without a foil?
a. 1661. Fuller, Worthies (1840), I. 300. In blackness and hardness they [Cornish diamonds] are far short of the Indian: yet, set with a good foil (advantaged hypocrisy passeth often for sincerity) may at the first sight deceive no unskilful lapidary.
1767. Gray, Lett. to Mason, 19 July. In gems that want colour and perfection, a foil is put under them to add to their lustre. In others, as in diamonds, the foil is black; and in this sense, when a pretty woman chooses to appear in public with a homely one, we say she uses her as a foil.
1875. in Ure’s Dict. Arts, II. 465.
† b. The setting (of a jewel). Obs.
1587. Turberv., Trag. T. (1837), 19.
| I frame the foyle, I graue the golde, | |
| I fashion vp the ring, | |
| And thou the iewell shalt enioye, | |
| which I to shape doe bring. |
1611. Bible, Song Sol. v. 12, marg. Set as a precious stone in the foile of a ring.
fig. 1593. Shaks., Rich. II., I. iii. 265.
| Gaunt. The sullen passage of thy wearie steps | |
| Esteeme a foyle wherein thou art to set, | |
| The precious Iewell of thy home returne. |
1650. W. Brough, Sacr. Princ. (1659), 506–7. O Bright Diamond of Heaven, (Spark of the Divinity) Ray of Divine Glory, Set in the Foil of Flesh, for a Time, till Taken up and Kept in Gods own Cabinet for ever.
6. Anything that serves by contrast of color or quality to adorn another thing or set it off to advantage.
1581. J. Bell, Haddon’s Answ. Osor., 145 b. He practizeth to make his defence carry a certeine shewe of truth, paintyng it out with a deceauable foyle.
1639. Mayne, City & Match, II. ii.
| I need no foile, nor shall I think I’me white | |
| Only between two Moores; or that my nose | |
| Stands wrong, because my womans doth stand right. |
1711. Addison, Spect., No. 112, 9 July, ¶ 4. The general good Sense and Worthiness of his Character, make his Friends observe these little Singularities as Foils that rather set off than blemish his good Qualities.
1791. Wolcott (P. Pindar), Ode to my Ass, Wks. 1812, II. 466.
| And Lady Mount, her Majesty’s fine foil, | |
| For whom perfumers, barbers, vainly toil, | |
| (Poor Lady! who has quarrell’d with the Graces,) | |
| Would very willingly change Faces. |
1822. Hazlitt, Table-t., I. xvi. 378. Real power, real excellence, does not seek for a foil in inferiority; nor fear contamination from coming in contact with that which is coarse and homely.
1871. Tyndall, Fragm. Sc. (1879), I. vi. 202. They formed a bright foil to the sombre mass of rock above them.
7. attrib. and Comb., as foil-ground, -paper, -spangle; also foil-alum, alum in foils or laminæ; foil-stone (see quot. 1858).
1453. in Heath, Grocers’ Comp. (1869), 422. Alum, *foyle or rooch, ye bale … iiijd.
1859. Gullick & Timbs, Paint., 15. The latest modifications of gold and silver, glazed or lacquered *foil-grounds, appear in the works of Holbein and his contemporaries.
1859. Sala, Gas-light & D., ii. 20. *Foil-paper, spangles and Dutch metal.
1851. R. F. Burton, Goa, 133. By adding the gift of a pair of slippers adorned with *foil spangles, to which it appeared the company had taken a prodigious fancy, we were allowed to depart in comparative peace.
1858. Simmonds, Dict. Trade, *Foil stone, an imitation jewel.
