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foil

foil

4 8.5
A clear sheet with a picture for an overhead projector
  • noun
  • /fɔɪl/
  • Archaic
translation icon : transparencia
  • The artist used a transparent foil to project her colorful drawings onto the wall.

Examples

  • The teacher showed us how to use a foil to display our images during the science exhibition.

  • A pellicle mirror is like plastic foil.

    Blog text (11)
  • The whole thing is made of cardboard and sheathed in some kind of see-through foil.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • The poster is printed digitally with a foil stamp on top, a very nice way of literally enriching the typically lackluster digital output.

    Blog text (28)
  • The poster is offset printed with UV inks and a foil stamp on top, a very nice way of enriching an already rich output.

    Blog text (28)
  • If you can't afford to do a 10-color screen print or offset run, a quality digital print with an embellishment such as foil stamping can be just as effective.

    Blog text (28)
  • When presenting the photographs, she placed a layer of foil beneath them to enhance their visibility.

Synonyms

overhead
vsfoil
  • Archaic
9 5.3

A clear sheet put on a projector to show writing

is used for projection generally, not limited to that projector type
transparency
vsfoil
  • Specialized
1 6.3

A picture on clear film for a projector

is a common alternative name for the same projection sheet

Compounds

17 1.1

A thin sheet of metal used to wrap or cover food for cooking and storage

5 1.0

A thin sheet of metal used to wrap or cover food

gold foil
  • Specialized
1 3.9

Very thin sheets of gold used to decorate things like frames and art

A small water plant with thin leaves that look like feathers

Surface Forms

foil singular
foils plural

Etymology

Foil in the sense of a thin transparent sheet is the same idea as a 'leaf' of material you can put an image on for a projector, coming from the Latin folium 'leaf'; so a projector foil is just a very thin 'sheet' that carries a picture.