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English word origin

Etymology of FOIL

Acronym of first outer inner last or similar.

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
verb

To apply the FOIL algorithm to.

name

An acronym for the algorithm for multiplying two binomials.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Acronym of first outer inner last or similar.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
      "name": "acronym",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "first outer inner last"
      },
      "expansion": "Acronym of first outer inner last"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "first",
      "first#English"
    ],
    [
      "outer",
      "outer#English"
    ],
    [
      "inner",
      "inner#English"
    ],
    [
      "last",
      "last#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To apply the FOIL algorithm to."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 115140
    },
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "An acronym for the algorithm for multiplying two binomials."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "mnemonic"
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      "rawRecordSha256": "4380a04583b676794957bec18a5218ee6a5cf4d0e46eeb301130bbf2972440c0",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 115139
    }
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for FOIL →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-Rk9JTA