foliage

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

|Updated on: 21 Jul 2018

Usage guide: How do you pronounce foliage?

Examples: foliage in a Sentence

Editor's Note: How Do You Pronounce 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.

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foliaged

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

See foliage defined for English-language learners

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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

Consider low-light container gardens for long lasting indoor foliage displays.

— tom maccubbin, OrlandoSentinel.com, "July in the garden," 30 June 2018
Mary Boncek, Dacula A: Goats enjoy poison ivy foliage very much.

— walter reeves, ajc, "Orchid needs correct light to bloom," 20 June 2018
This year nearly one third of the 100 top U.S. greenhouse growers plan to increase production of potted foliage plants, said Laura Drotleff, editor of Greenhouse Grower, a trade publication that covers the $700-million foliage-plants industry.

— michelle slatalla, WSJ, "Plant Swaps: The Cheap Way to Score Rare Houseplants," 7 June 2018
The dusty landscapes and desert foliage inspired some of her most famous paintings.

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "See Georgia O’Keeffe’s Little-Known Hawaii Paintings Blossom Next to Real Plants," 30 May 2018
The veterans float is decked out in flags and adorned with foliage.

— peter marteka, Courant Community, "Memorial Day Exhibit Commemorates Glastonbury Man Who Co-Founded The Holiday 150 Years Ago," 27 May 2018
Avoid overhead irrigation, which encourages foliage diseases.

— arricca sansone, Country Living, "How to Grow Onions," 22 May 2018
Silver foliage is red hued in full sun and with some drought stress.

— karen dardick, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Bromeliads create garden drama," 17 May 2018
Just last season, Chanel created a rainforest inside the historic site, equipped with large-scale cascading waterfalls and jungle foliage.

— mara balagtas, Condé Nast Traveler, "Chanel Outdoes Itself Again With Cruise-Themed Fashion Show," 4 May 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."