choil

C3H4O1I1L1
/t͡ʃɔɪl/

noun

An unsharpened portion of a knife blade at the base of the blade, near the handle of the knife.

“This knife's large finger choil helps compensate for the short handle.”

Scrabble 10
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Meanings

nounchoil (plural choils)

plural choils

  1. An unsharpened portion of a knife blade at the base of the blade, near the handle of the knife.
  2. The region of a knife where such a portion is, or would be if it existed; the region may be arranged as a grip, guard, or combination thereof (a finger choil), or it may be a notch demarking the end of the sharpened edge (a sharpening choil).

    This knife's large finger choil helps compensate for the short handle.

    1. on fixed-blade knivesThe portion where the heel meets the bolster.
    2. on folding knivesThe indentation of a pocket-knife blade where it joins the tang.

Origin

Unknown; originally a dialectal term from Sheffield.

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with choil

oilsoilcoilfoilboilboylespoilHoylerecoiltoilbroilvoilefoylemoelroildespoilmoilembroilnoilaboilassoilCape Broyledisembroildroil
All rhymes →

Anagrams

choli
Cite this entry
APA

choil. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/choil

MLA

“choil.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/choil. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “choil,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/choil.

Source: choil on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.