foliage
UK /ˈfəʊliɪdʒ/ · US /ˈfoʊliɪd͡ʒ/ noun
Forms foliages foilage feuillage
- noun The leaves of plants.
- noun An architectural ornament representing foliage.
Synonyms
Etymology
From earlier foilage, from Late Middle English ffoylage, from Middle French feuillage. The more recent form is influenced by Latin folium (“leaf”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun Leaves, collectively, as produced or arranged by nature; leafage; as, a tree or forest of beautiful foliage.
- noun A cluster of leaves, flowers, and branches; especially, the representation of leaves, flowers, and branches, in architecture, intended to ornament and enrich capitals, friezes, pediments, etc. Foliage plant (Bot.), any plant cultivated for the beauty of its leaves, as many kinds of Begonia and Coleus.
- verb To adorn with foliage or the imitation of foliage; to form into the representation of leaves. [R.] Drummond.
Etymology [OF. foillage, fueillage, F. feuillage, fr. OF. foille, fueille, fueil, F. feulle, leaf, L. folium. See 3d Foil, and cf. Foliation, Filemot.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “foliage”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details