compound leaf

American  

noun

1. 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.

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compound leaf British  

noun

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

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compound leaf Scientific  

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

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Etymology

Origin of compound leaf

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

compound leaf

In a compound leaf, the leaf blade is completely divided, forming leaflets, as in the locust tree.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

How does a compound leaf give a selective advantage to avoid herbivory?

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

The separate blades of a compound leaf are called leaflets.

From Trees of the Northern United States Their Study, Description and Determination by Apgar, A. C. (Austin Craig)

A compound leaf terminating in a pair of leaflets.

From The Plants of Michigan Simple Keys for the Identification of the Native Seed Plants of the State by Gleason, Henry Allan

Half across the meadow I now observed that he held a leaf in his outstretched hand, and now I clearly noted that it was a compound leaf, and in another second I knew it all.

From Eye Spy Afield with Nature Among Flowers and Animate Things by Gibson, W. Hamilton (William Hamilton)