English
foil
Foil comes from Middle English foyle ‘a leaf’, and goes back to Proto-Italic *foljom.
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*foljomreconstructed
- Classical Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfolium‘a leaf’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEfolia‘a leaf’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400fueille‘plant leaf’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600same form
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500foyle‘a leaf’
- Englishearliest quotation a. 1587foil
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*foljomreconstructed
- Classical Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfolium‘a leaf’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEfolia‘a leaf’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400fueille‘plant leaf’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600same form
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500foyle‘a leaf’
- Englishearliest quotation a. 1587foil
Earliest quotation: a. 1587, Philippe Sidnei [i.e., (please specify the folio): “As she a black silk cap on him begun…”
The story
The literary sense is from the practice of backing a gem with metal foil to make it shine more brilliantly.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *dʰelh₁- ‘to well forth, spring forth’
lue, thallium, thallus, 6 more
through Classical Latin folium ‘a leaf’
folio, folic, exfoliation, exfoliate, 21 more
through Old French fueille ‘plant leaf’
Another origin of foil
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰleh₃-‘to inflate, blow, swell’uncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfullō‘to trample, full’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400fouler‘tread on, trample’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500foilen‘spoil a scent trail by crossing it’
- Englishtodayfoil
Another origin of foil
- Frenchc. 1600–presentfoulis
- Englishtodayfoil
Today it means
noun A very thin sheet of metal.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Italic *foljom / foil