Foin
noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A thrust. archaic
"And there kyng Arthur smote syr mordred vnder the shelde wyth a foyne of his spere throughoute the body more than a fadom. "And there King Arthur smote Sir Mordred under the shield, with a foin of his spear, throughout the body, more than a fathom.""
- 2 The beech marten (Martes foina, syn. Mustela foina).
- 3 A kind of fur, black at the top on a whitish ground, taken from the ferret or weasel of the same name.
"He came to the stake in a fair black gown furred and faced with foins."
- 1 To thrust with a sword; to stab at. archaic
"And then he flue on hir as he were wood, / And on hir breeche did hack and foyne a-good."
- 2 To prick; to sting. archaic
Example
More examples"And there kyng Arthur smote syr mordred vnder the shelde wyth a foyne of his spere throughoute the body more than a fadom. "And there King Arthur smote Sir Mordred under the shield, with a foin of his spear, throughout the body, more than a fathom.""
Etymology
From Old French foene (“harpoon, fizgig”), from Latin fuscina (“trident”).
From French fouine (“a marten”).
Related phrases
More for "foin"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.