noun

quoin

/kwɔɪn/ · say it: KWOYN

a dressed cornerstone reinforcing a building's angle

In Architecture & Design

In more detail

1. (noun) an external angle of a wall or building

2. (noun) a stone or brick used to form an external corner of a building

Examples

1. The quoin at the corner of the old church was made of dressed stone.
2. They reinforced the quoins with large granite blocks for durability.

How to use quoin

A quoin refers to the external angle of a building or the masonry unit positioned at that angle, often featuring decorative stonework. It is primarily used in architectural and historical contexts when discussing building construction, restoration, or design. The term is more common in British English and in professional architectural discourse.

Common phrases

quoin stone
dressed quoin
corner quoin
quoin work

Synonyms

corner stone · cornerstone · angle stone · ashlar

Word family

quoins (plural)

A common mistake

Learners sometimes confuse quoin with coin due to similar pronunciation, or fail to recognize it as a technical architectural term and attempt to use it in non-architectural contexts where it has no meaning.

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