Definition of FOLIAGE

How do you pronounce foliage?: Usage Guide

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.

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."

Examples of foliage in a Sentence

a tree with pretty foliage the thick green foliage of the jungle

Recent Examples on the Web

Learn about the historic village of Talcottville and visit the Talcott Ravine, Hop River Rail Trail, historic bridges and buildings, the remains of 19th century mills, an early Civil War monument, as well as enjoy the fall foliage. — courant.com, "Community News For The Vernon Edition," 13 Sep. 2019 Onyx Red ornamental pepper has almost black foliage with ruby red round fruits. — Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp, Indianapolis Star, "The Hoosier Gardener: All-America Selections demonstrate their beauty," 9 Aug. 2019 In a series of behind-the-scenes images from the shoot, shared online by Aniston’s stylists, sisters Nina and Clare Hallworth, the star stands outside her home, surrounded by lush green foliage. — Maria Pasquini, PEOPLE.com, "Jennifer Aniston Strikes a Pose in Her $21 Million Bel Air Home She Shared with Justin Theroux," 13 Sep. 2019 In the spring and summer the plant responds with fresh green foliage and an array of colorful blossoms. — Stan Davidson, sun-sentinel.com, "Spice up your landscape with Curcuma," 22 Aug. 2019 The Village Board approved an amendment to the Rivershire Planned Unit Development that allows the Rivershire Homeowners Association #2 to build a privacy fence, which was once provided by foliage. — Steve Sadin, chicagotribune.com, "Lincolnshire trustees give nod to privacy fencing in the Rivershire subdivision," 8 July 2019 But eventually, the dog days of summer will sit and give way to the beautiful fall foliage that draws Pumpkin Spice enthusiasts to Brown County each year. — Justin L. Mack, Indianapolis Star, "Brown County 'Leaf Cam' launches for viewing Indiana fall leaves," 9 Sep. 2019 Volunteer crews came in after the foliage was removed and worked on removing the root system. — Peter Marteka, courant.com, "South Windsor using ‘goatscaping’ to control invasive plants," 7 Sep. 2019 Though not always practical, try to water at the base of the plants to reduce moisture on the foliage. — Tim Johnson, chicagotribune.com, "Yellowing basil leaves could mean downy mildew," 26 Aug. 2019

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.