Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A farewell feast, drink, or gift, as at a wedding.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Faith; allegiance.
  • noun Some sort of cheat or swindler.
  • noun A feast given by a person who is about to make a journey or who has just returned.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun obsolete Faith; allegiance; fealty.
  • noun obsolete A feast given by one about to leave a place.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun obsolete, rare Faith, allegiance.
  • noun obsolete A feast given by one about to leave a place.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Dutch dialectal fooi, from Middle Dutch foye, journey, from Old French voie, from Latin via, road; see wegh- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle French foy.

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Examples

  • The salesman remembered the transaction because his customers had been unable to describe what they wanted otherwise than by the word "cloth," which was not the technical name foy any of his commodities.

    The Pit Prop Syndicate Freeman Wills Crofts 1918

  • One of the servants at the place was leaving, and what was termed a "foy" was being held that night.

    Cattle and Cattle-breeders William M'Combie

  • We were apt to "foy" at our work to the extent of grudging meal-times and sleep.

    Six to Sixteen: A Story for Girls 1872

  • We were apt to "foy" at our work to the extent of grudging meal-times and sleep.

    Six to Sixteen A Story for Girls Juliana Horatia Gatty Ewing 1863

  • We parted, however, without further explanation, and I did not see him until three days after, when he summoned me to partake of the "foy" with which his landlord proposed to regale him ere his departure for Edinburgh.

    The Bride of Lammermoor Walter Scott 1801

  • Artahnre was refolvcd to draw his fword foy the King of the Frankj, as he had already freely offered, and Pharamotid to teditie the confidence which he had in his fricndffiip and gcod condudi, gave him a referve of fix thou - fand Horfe, to fuccour as he (huuld fee occalion.

    Pharamond; or, The history of France. A fam'd romance in twelve parts; the whole work never before Englished; 1677

  • And, in case you need to know “foyer” is pronounced “foy-ay” not “foy-er”.

    2010 June « Mudpuddle 2010

  • Jennifer Chen for the Wall Street Journal Ruea Thong's cooks are experts at deep-frying: tod mun goong, shrimp cakes, are light and greaseless, as are the goong foy tod, cakes of baby shrimp that come with a Chinese-style cucumber-chili salad.

    Eating in Southeast Asia 2011

  • I congratulated him on his good fortune and told him that my “foy boyga” was in bed on the fifth floor nursing a compound fracture.

    Full Frontal Nudity Harry Hamlin 2010

  • Trackback URL perl the love brian d foy started this Perl meme with a few questions.

    Why People Are Passionate About Perl : #comments 2008

Comments

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  • Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source

    foy /fɔɪ/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[foi

    Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation

    –noun

    1. Chiefly Scot. a farewell gift, feast, or drink.

    2. faith.

    Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)

    Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.]

    July 28, 2007

  • Oh, pity the smart Scottish boy

    Departing to take new employ:

    His future is bright

    But farewells a blight,

    For he bears the cost of his foy.

    November 12, 2017