Counterfoils

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The detachable part of a cheque, receipt or ticket that the issuer keeps as a written record of the transaction
2. Stubs kept by an issuer as a record of a payment, ticket or document after the original portion has been handed over
3. Parts of tickets, cheques or vouchers that remain attached to the book as a permanent record of what was issued

Etymology: A counterfoil is the part of a cheque, ticket or receipt book that stays behind when the main slip is torn away, so the record of what was issued remains with the issuer. The name is built from two English parts: "counter-", a prefix that means "against" or "opposite", and "foil", a leaf or sheet. Put together, the word describes a leaf set opposite to the one handed over. The prefix comes from Old French "contre", which in turn descends from Latin "contra", meaning "against" or "opposite". English borrowed it as "counter-" and used it to form many words, such as "counteract" and "counterpart". "Foil" entered English from Old French "foille", ultimately from Latin "folium", "leaf", which is also the source of the word for a thin sheet of metal used in wrapping or backing. Because the stub mirrors the detachable slip, it preserves a matching copy of each entry, which is why the stub and slip are sometimes called a pair of counterparts.

Synonyms: stub, butt