Foliage

/ˈfoʊliɪdʒ/

nounBeginner📊CommonGeneral
1 meaning3 questions

Definitions

1

The leaves of a plant, or the collection of leaves on a plant or in an area.

/ˈfoʊliɪdʒ/

nounneutralBeginner
General

The leaves of a plant or plants.

The forest was lush with green foliage.

💡 Simply: Foliage is all the leaves on trees and plants, like the green stuff that makes a forest look pretty. Imagine you're walking in a park, the foliage is all the green you see!

👶 For kids: Foliage is all the leaves on a tree or plant!

More Examples

2

The artist painted a detailed landscape of the autumn foliage.

3

The house was surrounded by dense foliage, providing privacy.

4

The amount of foliage on the trees indicated a healthy ecosystem.

How It's Used

Botany

"The dense foliage provided ample shade."

Landscape Design

"The garden was designed with a variety of foliage colors and textures."

Literature

"The poet described the vibrant foliage of the autumn trees."

From Old French *fuillage*, derived from *foil* (leaf), ultimately from Latin *folium* (leaf).

The word 'foliage' has been used in English since the 14th century, often in descriptions of gardens and landscapes.

Memory tip

Think of a 'leaf-age' – all the leaves together!

Word Origin

LanguageLatin
Original meaning

"leaf"

dense foliagegreen foliageautumn foliagelush foliage

Common misspellings

foliageyfoligefoliagee

Usage

30%Spoken
70%Written