: a lateral (see lateralentry 1 sense 2) outgrowth from a plant stem that is typically a flattened expanded variably shaped greenish organ, constitutes a unit of the foliage, and functions primarily in food manufacture by photosynthesis
(2)
: a modified leaf (such as a bract or sepal) primarily engaged in functions other than food manufacture
Noun
I heard the rustle of the autumn leaves.
a pile of dead leaves
The trees drop their leaves in the fall, and new leaves grow again in the spring.
The trees have not yet come into leaf. Verb
we must have spent hours leafing through wallpaper books before we found something we both liked
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
But the king of all dumplings might just be zongzi, a parcel made of sticky glutinous rice wrapped neatly in a bamboo leaf and filled with umami-rich ingredients, like marinated pork, shiitake mushrooms, peanuts and beans.—Michelle Tchea, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 June 2024 Fragrance notes: woody spices, tobacco leaf, vanilla, and ginger.—Kristin Guy, Sunset Magazine, 30 May 2024
Verb
Symptoms in the foliage itself include yellow or reddish blotches discoloring the leaf and sometimes leaf wrinkling.—Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 24 Aug. 2023 Furthermore, hyaluronic acid deeply moisturizes, and aloe leaf soothes.—ELLE, 31 July 2023 See all Example Sentences for leaf
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'leaf.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English leef, from Old English lēaf; akin to Old High German loub leaf
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)
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