foliage

noun fo·liage \ ˈfō-lē-ij also -lyij ; nonstandard ˈfō-lij , nonstandard ˈfȯi-lij \

Updated on: 12 May 2018

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.

—

foliaged

play \ˈfō-lē-ijd also -lyijd; nonstandard ˈfō-lijd, nonstandard ˈfȯi-\ adjective

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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

Today, the jungle has reclaimed the land of Ross Island, shrouding in foliage its gruesome past.

— neelima vallangi, Smithsonian, "India’s Abandoned Island of Colonial Horror," 8 May 2018
If the foliage is inhibiting air circulation, thin out the center of the tree a bit.

— kym pokorny, OregonLive.com, "How to grow Meyer lemons in the Northwest," 25 Apr. 2018
Milkweed has chemicals in the foliage that are taken in by the butterflies to produce a bitter taste and are important to discouraging predators.

— calvin finch, San Antonio Express-News, "Attracting and producing butterflies in your landscape," 6 Apr. 2018
The luxuriant foliage also extended to the arrangements of poppies and daffodils cheerfully scattered throughout.

— maria ward, Vogue, "Tory Burch, Bottled: The Designer Hosts a Beautiful Dinner Party to Celebrate Her New Fragrance," 4 Apr. 2018
Stay alert to caterpillars that feed on the foliage and fruit.

— tom maccubbin, OrlandoSentinel.com, "It's all about timing when growing cucumbers," 31 Mar. 2018
As the turbulent climate shifted from hot to cold on a sometimes monthly basis, the streamlined foliage would have needed to withstand extremes.

— danny uhlmann, National Geographic, "Five New Fossil Forests Found in Antarctica," 16 Mar. 2018
The dense foliage is a glossy dark green and tops out at about 18 inches, forming a solid edging or groundcover.

— ellen nibali, baltimoresun.com, "Garden Q&A: Stop to smell the sweetbox plants," 8 Mar. 2018
Hold the nozzle close to the foliage or use a brush or sponge, so glyphosate cannot contact your desirable plants.

— ellen nibali, baltimoresun.com, "Garden Q&A: Can lesser celandine be mulched away?," 5 Apr. 2018

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."