Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

foliate

American  
[foh-lee-it, -ayt, foh-lee-ayt] / ˈfoʊ li ɪt, -ˌeɪt, ˈfoʊ liˌeɪt /

adjective

  1. covered with or having leaves.

  2. like a leaf, as in shape.

  3. Architecture. Also

    1. ornamented with or composed of foil.

      foliate tracery.

    2. ornamented with representations of foliage.

      a foliate capital.

  4. Petrology, Mineralogy. foliated.


verb (used without object)

foliated, foliating
  1. to put forth leaves.

  2. to split into thin leaflike layers or laminae.

verb (used with object)

foliated, foliating
  1. to shape like a leaf or leaves.

  2. to decorate with foils or foliage.

  3. to form into thin sheets.

  4. to spread over with a thin metallic backing.

  5. Printing. to number the folios or leaves, as distinguished from pages, of (a manuscript or book).

foliate British  

adjective

    1. relating to, possessing, or resembling leaves

    2. in combination

      trifoliate

  1. (of certain metamorphic rocks, esp schists) having the constituent minerals arranged in thin leaflike layers

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (tr) to ornament with foliage or with leaf forms such as foils

  2. to hammer or cut (metal) into thin plates or foil

  3. (tr) to coat or back (glass, etc) with metal foil

  4. (tr) to number the leaves of (a book, manuscript, etc) Compare paginate

  5. (intr) (of plants) to grow leaves

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of foliate

First recorded in 1620–30, foliate is from the Latin word foliātus leafy. See folium, -ate 1


Vocabulary lists containing foliate

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Also included are a champagne swizzle stick and a metal-mounted foliate cocktail stick holder.

From BBC ● Nov. 20, 2023

They are normally described by art historians as foliate heads, and they are, essentially, a decorative trope.

From Slate ● Apr. 8, 2023

Lehman followed a formula in these portraits and foliate still lifes, but his strange deviations and distortions of space and the body keep the images fresh.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 28, 2016

Mr. Mabey finds a few curling floral and foliate motifs but is content to leave these prehistoric symbols as mystery.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 15, 2016

The general effect of the design remained the same, but the foliate ornamentation gave place to angular outlines.

From Canada: Its Postage Stamps and Postal Stationery by Clifton Armstrong Howes

Boxwood: English boxwood is bright green and densely foliated with rounded leaves.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 9, 2016

If the hornfels formed in a situation without directed pressure, then these minerals would be randomly orientated, not foliated as they would be if formed with directed pressure.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015

Metamorphic rocks that form under either low-pressure conditions or just confining pressure do not become foliated.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015

Even if formed during regional metamorphism, quartzite does not tend to be foliated because quartz crystals don’t align with the directional pressure.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015

In Titian’s portrait of Ariosto there is a dark foliated background which gives great brilliancy to the picture, but no sky is visible.

From The Evolution of Photography With a Chronological Record of Discoveries, Inventions, etc., Contributions to Photographic Literature, and Personal Reminescences Extending over Forty Years by John Werge

The ash was foliating on the 29th of April, the oak on the 28th.

From The Delectable Duchy by Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word


Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Just like flashcards, but way more fun

Don't take our word for it. Leave the boring studying behind and join VocabTrainer today. You'll learn even faster and never look back.

Take me to Vocabulary.com