foliate

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

/ adjective ˈfoʊ li ɪt, -ˌeɪt; verb ˈfoʊ liˌeɪt /

SEE 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).

QUIZZES

Can You Ace This Quiz About “Compliment” vs. “Complement”?

Take this quiz to see if you really know the difference between “compliment” and “complement"!

Question 1 of 11

“Compliment” and “complement” had a shared meaning a long time ago, but today they are no longer interchangeable.

True

False

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of foliate

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

OTHER WORDS FROM foliate

sub·fo·li·ate, adjective

Words nearby foliate

folia, foliaceous, foliage, foliage plant, foliar, foliate, foliate papilla, foliated, foliated joint, foliation, foliature

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences 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

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.

QUIZZES

Origin of foliate

OTHER WORDS FROM foliate

Words nearby foliate

Words related to foliate

Example sentences from the Web for foliate

British Dictionary definitions for foliate

adjective (ˈfəʊlɪɪt, -ˌeɪt)

verb (ˈfəʊlɪˌeɪt)

Word Origin for foliate