foliation

American  

[foh-lee-ey-shuhn] / ˌfoʊ liˈeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of putting forth leaves.

2. the state of being in leaf.

3. Botany.

   1. the arrangement of leaves within a bud.

   2. the arrangement of leaves on a plant.

4. leaves or foliage.

5. Printing. the consecutive numbering of the folios or leaves, as distinguished from pages, of a manuscript or book.

6. the total number of such leaves.

7. Petrology. a form of lamination produced in rocks by metamorphism.

8. ornamentation with foliage, or an arrangement of foliage.

9. Architecture.

   1. ornamentation with foils.

   2. ornamentation with representations of foliage.

10. formation into thin sheets.

11. the application of foil to glass to make a mirror.

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foliation British  

/ ˌfəʊlɪˈeɪʃən /

noun

1. botany

   1. the process of producing leaves

   2. the state of being in leaf

   3. the arrangement of leaves in a leaf bud; vernation

2. architect

   1. ornamentation consisting of foliage

   2. ornamentation consisting of cusps and foils

3. any decoration with foliage

4. the consecutive numbering of the leaves of a book

5. geology the arrangement of the constituents of a rock in leaflike layers, as in schists

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foliation Scientific  

/ fō′lē-ā′shən /

1. The set of layers visible in many metamorphic rocks as a result of the flattening and stretching of mineral grains during metamorphism.

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Other Word Forms

• subfoliation
  noun
• superfoliation
  noun

Etymology

Origin of foliation

First recorded in 1615–25; foliate + -ion

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

foliation

Schistosity is a textural description of foliation created by the parallel alignment of platy visible grains.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2017

If they lie on a plane with mica, but with no common or preferred direction, this is foliation.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2017

Strike and dip are also used to describe any other planar features, including joints, faults, dykes, sills, and even the foliation planes in metamorphic rocks.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015

The mineral crystals don’t have to be large to produce foliation.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015

Furthermore, the direction of glacial movement in this part of New England was almost precisely that of foliation, and scouring by ice merely accentuated the dominant north-south trend of the valleys and ridges.

From Drainage Modifications and Glaciation in the Danbury Region Connecticut State of Connecticut State Geological and Natural History Survey Bulletin No. 30 by Sawyer-Harvey, Ruth