Foil

English Meaning

To tread under foot; to trample.

1. To prevent from being successful; thwart.
2. To obscure or confuse (a trail or scent) so as to evade pursuers.
3. Archaic A repulse; a setback.
4. Archaic The trail or scent of an animal.
5. A thin, flexible leaf or sheet of metal: aluminum foil.
6. A thin layer of polished metal placed under a displayed gem to lend it brilliance.
7. 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).
8. The reflective metal coating on the back of a glass mirror.
9. Architecture A curvilinear, often lobelike figure or space formed between the cusps of intersecting arcs, found especially in Gothic tracery and Moorish ornament.
10. An airfoil.
11. Nautical A hydrofoil.
12. To cover or back with foil.
13. To set off by contrast.
14. A fencing sword having a usually circular guard and a thin, flexible four-sided blade with a button on the tip to prevent injury.
15. The art or sport of fencing with such a sword. Often used in the plural: a contest at foils.