foliate

[adjective foh-lee-it, -eyt; verb foh-lee-eyt]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR foliate ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

covered with or having leaves.

like a leaf, as in shape.

Also foliated. Architecture.

ornamented with or composed of foil: foliate tracery.
ornamented with representations of foliage: a foliate capital.

Petrology, Mineralogy. foliated(def 2).

verb (used without object), fo·li·at·ed, fo·li·at·ing.

to put forth leaves.

to split into thin leaflike layers or laminae.

verb (used with object), fo·li·at·ed, fo·li·at·ing.

to shape like a leaf or leaves.

to decorate with foils or foliage.

to form into thin sheets.

to spread over with a thin metallic backing.

Printing. to number the folios or leaves, as distinguished from pages, of (a manuscript or book).

Nearby words

Origin of foliate

First recorded in 1620–30, foliate is from the Latin word foliātus leafy. See folium, -ate¹

Related formssub·fo·li·ate, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for foliate

The general effect of the design remained the same, but the foliate ornamentation gave place to angular outlines.
Canada: Its Postage Stamps and Postal Stationery|Clifton Armstrong Howes
The front door was massive, and sheeted over with lead embossed in foliate and heraldic patterns.
News from the Duchy|Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch
Thus the foliate and florate designs are better carved than the animal forms, and both better than the human.
The Grotesque in Church Art|T. Tindall Wildridge
These floral or foliate designs are one of the most constant features of this class.
Oriental Rugs|Walter A. Hawley

High pillars with crocketed and foliate capitals supported the springing of the large irregular arches.
Ypres and the Battles of Ypres|Unknown

British Dictionary definitions for foliate

foliate

adjective (ˈfəʊlɪɪt, -ˌeɪt)

relating to, possessing, or resembling leaves
in combinationtrifoliate

(of certain metamorphic rocks, esp schists) having the constituent minerals arranged in thin leaflike layers

verb (ˈfəʊlɪˌeɪt)

(tr) to ornament with foliage or with leaf forms such as foils

to hammer or cut (metal) into thin plates or foil

(tr) to coat or back (glass, etc) with metal foil

(tr) to number the leaves of (a book, manuscript, etc)Compare paginate

(intr) (of plants) to grow leaves

Word Origin for foliate

C17: from Latin foliātus leaved, leafy

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 foliate

foliate

adj.

1620s, from Latin foliatus "leaved, leafy," from folium (see folio).

foliate

1660s, "to apply silver leaf," from Latin foliatus "leaved, leafy," from folium (see folio). Meaning "to put forth leaves" is from 1775. Related: Foliated; foliating.

foliate

adjective

verb (used without object), fo·li·at·ed, fo·li·at·ing.

verb (used with object), fo·li·at·ed, fo·li·at·ing.

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Origin of foliate

Examples from the Web for foliate

foliate

adjective (ˈfəʊlɪɪt, -ˌeɪt)

verb (ˈfəʊlɪˌeɪt)

Word Origin for foliate

foliate

foliate