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How Do You Pronounce foliage?
Whether you’re a casual leaf peeper or a card-carrying botanist, a staunch New Englander or Caribbean beach bum, there’s plenty to love about foliage—though the pronunciation of foliage has long been a point of contention among English speakers. Most commonly accepted is the trisyllabic \FOH-lee-ij\. However, there’s no denying that the pronunciations \FOH-lij\ and even \FOY-lij\ have also staked their claim. The first of these disputed pronunciations is consistent with the pronunciation of the -iage ending in marriage and carriage. The second is often more fiercely denounced, in part because of its association with the nonstandard spelling foilage. But there’s redemption for this estranged pronunciation: 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." Love it or leaf it, there’s just no taking the "foil" out of foliage.
Examples of foliage in a Sentence
Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 20 Nov. 2025
The Marly set is one of the more ornate offerings in Christofle’s lineup, highlighting Louis XV-style motifs with delicate asymmetrical vines and foliage.
—Angela Tafoya, Vogue, 19 Nov. 2025
Leaves changing colors is one of the most iconic parts of autumn in the United States, and there's still time to catch stunning fall foliage before trees become totally bare leading into winter.
—Hannah Yasharoff, USA Today, 17 Nov. 2025
Best Times to Visit For bird-watchers and foliage seekers, fall is the ideal time to experience the diverse wildlife and coastal sites of Cambridge.
—Katie Riley, Travel + Leisure, 15 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for foliage
Cite this Entry
“Foliage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foliage. Accessed 24 Nov. 2025.
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