† focilen.

Etymology: < post-classical Latin focile one of the bones of the forearm or of the leg (from 12th cent. in continental sources, 14th cent. in British sources), extended use of focile steel for striking fire (see fusil n.²), after similar extended use (late 10th or early 11th cent. or earlier) of Arabic zand stick twirled between the hands to produce fire by friction, (in dual zandān) the radius and ulna collectively, with allusion to the shape of the bones. Compare Old French foscile, Old French, Middle French focille, Middle French fossile, faucile, Middle French, French †focile (mid 13th cent.), Old Occitan focil (14th cent.), Catalan †fòcil (1460), Spanish focil (1493), Italian (now disused) fucile (a1519; first half of the 14th cent. as †focile).In major focile and minor focile (and variants) after post-classical Latin focile maius and focile minus (both 1363 in Chauliac, or earlier); compare Old French grant foscile , Old French, Middle French grant focille , French †grand focile and Old French petit foscile , Old French, Middle French petit focille , French †petit focile (both mid 13th cent.). In over focile, upper focile after post-classical Latin focile superius (13th cent. in Albertus Magnus; 1363 in Chauliac), itself after Arabic zand al-aʿla , lit. ‘upper fire stick’. In lower focile after post-classical Latin focile inferius (1316 or earlier; 1363 in Chauliac), itself after Arabic zand al-asfal, lit. ‘lower fire stick’.