Dictionary.com
definitions
  • synonyms

defoliate

[verb dee-foh-lee-eyt; adjective dee-foh-lee-it, -eyt]
verb (used with object), de·fo·li·at·ed, de·fo·li·at·ing.
  1. to strip (a tree, bush, etc.) of leaves.
  2. to destroy or cause widespread loss of leaves in (an area of jungle, forest, etc.), as by using chemical sprays or incendiary bombs, in order to deprive enemy troops or guerrilla forces of concealment.
Show More
verb (used without object), de·fo·li·at·ed, de·fo·li·at·ing.
  1. to lose leaves.
Show More
adjective
  1. (of a tree) having lost its leaves, especially by a natural process.
Show More

Origin of defoliate

1785–1795; < Medieval Latin dēfoliātus, past participle of dēfoliāre, equivalent to Latin dē- de- + foli(um) leaf + -ātus -ate1
Related formsde·fo·li·a·tion, nounde·fo·li·a·tor, nounun·de·fo·li·at·ed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for defoliate

Historical Examples

  • When neglected for two or three years, they often defoliate large trees.

    Soil Culture

    J. H. Walden

British Dictionary definitions for defoliate

defoliate

verb (diːˈfəʊlɪˌeɪt)
  1. to deprive (a plant) of its leaves, as by the use of a herbicide, or (of a plant) to shed its leaves
Show More
adjective (diːˈfəʊlɪɪt)
  1. (of a plant) having shed its leaves
Show More
Derived Formsdefoliation, noundefoliator, noun

Word Origin

C18: from Medieval Latin dēfoliāre, from Latin de- + folium leaf
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

Word Origin and History for defoliate

v.

1793, perhaps a back-formation from defoliation. Earlier in this sense was defoil (c.1600). Related: Defoliated; defoliating.

Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper