fig leaf

See synonyms for fig leaf on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the leaf of a fig tree.

  2. a representation of a fig leaf, used as an ornament in architecture, as a cover for the genitalia on a statue or in a painting, etc.

  1. something intended to conceal what may be considered indecorous or indecent: to approach the facts of life with the fig leaves of roundabout expressions.

Origin of fig leaf

1
First recorded in 1525–35

Words Nearby fig leaf

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use fig leaf in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for fig leaf

fig leaf

noun
  1. a leaf from a fig tree

  2. a representation of a leaf, usually a vine leaf rather than an actual fig leaf, used in painting or sculpture to cover the genitals of nude figures

  1. a device intended to conceal something regarded as shameful or indecent

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