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quoit

(kwo̵it; chiefly Brit ko̵it)

noun

a ring of rope or flattened metal, used in the game of quoits
a game somewhat like horseshoes, in which players throw such rings at a peg (hob or tee) in an effort to encircle it

Origin: ME coyte (Anglo-Fr jeu de coytes), prob. < OFr coite, cushion (< L culcita: see quilt): ? orig., a cushion target

transitive verb

to throw like a quoit

See quoit in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun
Upper Northern U.S.

quoits (used with a sing. verb) A game in which flat rings of iron or rope are pitched at a stake, with points awarded for encircling it.
One of the rings used in this game.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English coyte, flat stone, quoit

Origin: , from Old French coilte, coite

Origin: , from Latin culcita, cushion

Regional Note: The game quoits derives its name from quoit, specifically denoting a heavy iron ring slightly convex on the outside and concave inside, configured so as to give it an edge for cutting into the ground. Both the game and the term are associated almost exclusively with the Upper North (the northernmost tier of states from New York State westward to North Dakota). In fact, quoits is one of a dozen terms that are most reliable for delineating the Upper North dialect boundary.

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