From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Quoin \Quoin\ (kwoin or koin; 277), n. [See {Coin}, and cf.
{Coigne}.]
1. (Arch.) Originally, a solid exterior angle, as of a
building; now, commonly, one of the selected pieces of
material by which the corner is marked.
[1913 Webster]
Note: In stone, the quoins consist of blocks larger than
those used in the rest of the building, and cut to
dimension. In brickwork, quoins consist of groups or
masses of brick laid together, and in a certain
imitation of quoins of stone.
[1913 Webster]
2. A wedgelike piece of stone, wood, metal, or other
material, used for various purposes; as:
(a) (Masonry) To support and steady a stone.
(b) (Gun.) To support the breech of a cannon.
(c) (Print.) To wedge or lock up a form within a chase.
(d) (Naut.) To prevent casks from rolling.
[1913 Webster]
{Hollow quoin}. See under {Hollow}.
{Quoin post} (Canals), the post of a lock gate which abuts
against the wall.
[1913 Webster]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
quoin
n 1: expandable metal or wooden wedge used by printers to lock
up a form within a chase [syn: {quoin}, {coign}, {coigne}]
2: the keystone of an arch [syn: {quoin}, {coign}, {coigne}]
3: (architecture) solid exterior angle of a building; especially
one formed by a cornerstone [syn: {corner}, {quoin}]
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