drop leaf

American  

noun

Furniture.

1. a hinged leaf attached to the end or side of a table that can be raised to extend the tabletop or folded vertically downward when not in use.

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drop leaf British  

noun

1. 1. a hinged flap on a table that can be raised and supported by a bracket or additional pivoted leg to extend the surface

   2. ( as modifier )

      a drop-leaf table

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Other Word Forms

• drop-leaf
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of drop leaf

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

We had a large dining room table, a cherry drop leaf, that would seat ten.

From The Biography of a Rabbit by Benson, Roy, Jr.

I will, my beloved,—old family relic that you are;—till you drop leaf from leaf, and letter from letter, you shall have a snug shelf somewhere, though I have no bench for myself.

From Redburn. His First Voyage by Melville, Herman

It should be observed in the latter figure that the edge A of the drop leaf is in alignment with the axis of the hinge.

From Woodwork Joints How they are Set Out, How Made and Where Used. by Fairham, William

The small portion is screwed to the table rail and the shaped bracket swings out to support the drop leaf.

From Woodwork Joints How they are Set Out, How Made and Where Used. by Fairham, William

Nobody had ever dared to raise the drop leaf and pass through.

From The Song of Songs by Sudermann, Hermann