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

Their eggs—known as oocysts—can survive in soil, smeared onto foliage, and floating in seawater for months up to years at a time. — Kim Steutermann Rogers, Smithsonian, "How the Tiniest of Parasites is Taking Down the Mightiest of Monk Seals," 9 July 2018 Perhaps there was a time, way back in your childhood, when summer meant riding your bike everyday to some idyllic, foliage-heavy park to drink Big Gulps and watch the clouds pass overhead. — Yang-yi Goh, GQ, "The Best Affordable Suit For Your Non-Stop Summer Schedule," 29 June 2018 This is also a good time to remove yellow, declining or out-of-bound foliage. — Tom Maccubbin, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Prune blueberry bushes after fruiting," 23 June 2018 The window in the exam room looked out onto jungle-like foliage instead of hot parking lot pavement. — Minda Honey, Longreads, "The Power in Knowing: Black Women, HIV, and the Realities of Safe Sex," 19 June 2018 The important thing for a ground cover plant is foliage that stays attractive through the growing season. — Beth Botts, chicagotribune.com, "If your garden grass is patchy, consider a ground cover instead," 12 June 2018 This foliage differs widely from species to species. — Karen Dardick, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Bromeliads create garden drama," 17 May 2018 The tint lends itself to streamside and lake, where fish, rocks, and foliage lurk. — Outside Online, "The Best Sunglasses of 2018," 15 May 2018 The image shows deep green colors for foliage that has bloomed out with warmer spring weather across the Piedmont region, a forested plateau between the Appalachian mountains and lower elevations along the Atlantic coast. — Mark Schleifstein, NOLA.com, "Missing boot: Satellite image shows eroding Louisiana coastline," 3 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.