foliage

American  

[foh-lee-ij] / ˈfoʊ li ɪdʒ /

noun

1. the leaves of a plant, collectively; leafage.

2. leaves in general.

3. the representation of leaves, flowers, and branches in painting, architectural ornament, etc.

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foliage British  

/ ˈfəʊlɪɪdʒ /

noun

1. the green leaves of a plant

2. sprays of leaves used for decoration

3. an ornamental leaflike design

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Other Word Forms

• foliaged adjective
• unfoliaged adjective

Etymology

Origin of foliage

1400–50; late Middle English foilage < Middle French fueillage, foillage, derivative of feuille leaf; influenced by Latin folium folium. See foil ², -age

Example Sentences

In the mornings, Christine eagerly awaits the brightly colored, highly vocal birds swooping into their garden, whooping their greetings before flying off into the junglelike foliage.

From Slate • Mar. 30, 2026

One of these, a sinuous swirl of foliage at the base of the cathedral’s great lectern, tells us what the Art Nouveau architects of a later generation were looking at.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026

Well you're not cursed and you don't need particularly green fingers for your to foliage to thrive, you just need to know where you might be going wrong, experts say.

From BBC • Jan. 14, 2026

"Everything has changed," said 76-year-old local Yusuf Mohammed, adding that the tree's dense foliage attracted wild animals that attack their livestock.

From Barron's • Nov. 12, 2025

The aperture was so screened and narrow, that curtain or shutter had been deemed unnecessary; and when I stooped down and put aside the spray of foliage shooting over it, I could see all within.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

Related Words

• vegetation