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Definition of foliage
1 : a representation of leaves, flowers, and branches for architectural ornamentation The doorframe was decorated with beautifully carved foliage.
2 : the aggregate of leaves of one or more plants trees with colorful autumn foliage
3 : a cluster of leaves, flowers, and branches A wreath of foliage adorned her front door.
From the M-W Editors
foliage was our Word of the Day on 02/02/2016. Hear the podcast!
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How do you pronounce foliage?
The disyllabic pronunciation \ˈfō-lij\ is very common. Some commentators insist that foliage requires a trisyllabic pronunciation because of its spelling, but words of a similar pattern such as carriage and marriage do not fall under their prescription. The pronunciation \ˈfȯi-lij\ is disapproved because it suggests the transposition of the l and i in the spelling. It is not as common as \ˈfō-lij\ and may be associated with the nonstandard spelling foilage.
Examples of foliage in a Sentence
a tree with pretty foliage
the thick green foliage of the jungle
Recent Examples of foliage from the Web
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The $68 million attraction highlighting African animals and foliage will open to the public in stages, beginning with its penguin habitat on Saturday.
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The crash ignited some dry foliage near by and a fire began smoldering.
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Foliage or fruit that touch the soil can become infested with disease or even rot because of the humid conditions at ground level.
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Young foliage often is shiny or oily-looking with a reddish tint.
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Relax under shady coolness at umbrella tables, surrounded by lush foliage and the sound of falling water.
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Their waterfront houses 10 miles southwest of Fredericksburg, Va. are about 300 feet apart, divided by a thicket of woods so dense that the dwellings and the border between the properties all but disappear in the summer foliage.
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Landis used a bed that was meant for a dollhouse and decorated the piece by using fabric and faux foliage from the art supply store.
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Cool roofs are roofs that either reflect the heat back, in the sense of white roofs, or green roofs that have foliage and perennial plants.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'foliage'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
How Do You Pronounce foliage?
The English language has its share of common but disputed usages. One such example is the pronunciation of foliage as FOH-lij or, even more irksome to some, FOY-lij. The first of these two pronunciations, though frequently disparaged, is consistent with the pronunciation of the -iage ending in marriage and carriage, as well the less common but widely accepted pronunciation of verbiage as VER-bij. The second of these is often more fiercely denounced, in part because of its association with the nonstandard spelling foilage. Oddly enough, foliage traces back to Middle French foille ("leaf"), which is also the source of the English word foil (as in "aluminum foil"). When adopted by Middle English speakers, foil originally meant "leaf."
Origin and Etymology of foliage
Middle French fuellage, from foille leaf — more at foil
Other Botany Terms
FOLIAGE Defined for English Language Learners
foliage
playDefinition of foliage for English Language Learners
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: the leaves of a plant or of many plants
FOLIAGE Defined for Kids
Learn More about foliage
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for foliage Spanish Central: Translation of foliage Nglish: Translation of foliage for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of foliage for Arabic speakers
Seen and Heard
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