compound leaf

noun

a leaf composed of a number of leaflets on a common stalk, arranged either palmately, as the fingers of a hand, or pinnately, as the leaflets of a fern; the leaflets themselves may be compound.

Origin of compound leaf

First recorded in 1875–80

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British Dictionary definitions for compound leaf

compound leaf

noun

a leaf consisting of two or more leaflets borne on the same leafstalk

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

compound leaf in Science

compound leaf

A leaf that is composed of two or more leaflets on a common stalk. Clover, roses, sumac, and walnut trees have compound leaves.