quoin

Noun

1. Any of the corner building blocks of a building, usually larger or more ornate than the surrounding blocks.
2. The keystone of an arch.
3. (historical) A metal wedge which fits into the space between the type and the edge of a chase, and is tightened to fix the metal type in place.
4. (obsolete) A form of wedge used to prevent casks from moving.
5. A wedge of wood or iron put under the breech of heavy guns or the muzzle of siege-mortars to raise them to the proper level.
6. A number of apple varieties with a distinctive ribbed appearance, like corners of a coin.

Verb

To wedge or steady with quoins.

Pronounced as (IPA)

/k(w)ɔɪn/

Etymology

Variant of coin; compare coign.

Synonyms

coign

coigne

corner

wedge

key

🔑

keystone

nook

piton

shim

spline

quoin stone

chock

angle stone

gore

gusset

headstone

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