coigne

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

noun expandable metal or wooden wedge used by printers to lock up a form within a chase
noun the keystone of an arch

A variant of coign.

Time, however, that had stained the neglected towers with an antique tint, and had permitted many a generation of summer birds to build their sunny nests on all the coignes of vantage of the unfinished walls, had exercised a mellowing influence even on these rude accessories, and in the course of years they had been so drenched by the rain, and so buffeted by the wind, and had become so covered with moss and ivy, that they rather added to then detracted from the picturesque character of the whole mass. — Henrietta Temple: A Love Story, Benjamin, Earl of Beaconsfield Disraeli

quoin, coign

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