foliole

[foh-lee-ohl]

noun

Botany.

1. a leaflet, as of a compound leaf.

2. a small leaflike organ or appendage.

Word History and Origins

Origin of foliole¹

1785–95; < French < Late Latin foliolum, equivalent to Latin foli ( um ) leaf + -olum -ole ¹

Example Sentences

A pretty oval face with softly shadowed oblique eyes—looking shyly downward—and a wonderful maiden coiffure, in which the hair is arranged in bands and volutes and ellipses and convolutions and foliole curlings most beautiful and extraordinary.

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Related Words

• frond 
• needle 
• petal 
• stalk