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definitions

leaf

[ leef ]
/ lif /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR leaf ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural leaves [leevz] /livz/.

verb (used without object)

to put forth leaves.
to turn pages, especially quickly (usually followed by through): to leaf through a book.

verb (used with object)

to thumb or turn, as the pages of a book or magazine, in a casual or cursory inspection of the contents.

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RELATED WORDS

scan, study, gather, see, know, learn, translate, interpret, view, search, browse, flash, examine, scour, skim, check, skip, glance, read, peruse

Nearby words

  1. leadsman,
  2. leadville,
  3. leadwort,
  4. leadwort family,
  5. leady,
  6. leaf beetle,
  7. leaf blight,
  8. leaf blotch,
  9. leaf bud,
  10. leaf butterfly

Idioms

Origin of leaf

before 900; Middle English leef, lef, Old English lēaf; cognate with Dutch loof, German Laub, Old Norse lauf, Gothic laufs
Related formsleaf·less, adjectiveleaf·like, adjectiveun·leaf, verb (used with object)un·leaf·like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for leaf through

leaf

/ (liːf) /

noun plural leaves (liːvz)

verb

(when intr, usually foll by through) to turn (through pages, sheets, etc) cursorily
(intr) (of plants) to produce leaves
Derived Formsleafless, adjectiveleaflessness, nounleaflike, adjective

Word Origin for leaf

Old English; related to Gothic laufs, Icelandic lauf
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 leaf through
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Science definitions for leaf through

leaf

[ lēf ]

An appendage growing from the stem of a plant. Leaves are extremely variable in form and function according to species. For example, the needles of pine trees, the spines of cacti, and the bright red parts of the poinsettia plant are all leaves modified for different purposes. However, most leaves are flat and green and adapted to capturing sunlight and carbon dioxide for photosynthesis. They consist of an outer tissue layer (the epidermis) through which water and gases are exchanged, a spongy inner layer of cells that contain chloroplasts, and veins that supply water and minerals and carry out food. Some leaves are simple, while others are compound, consisting of multiple leaflets. The flat part of the leaf, the blade, is often attached to the stem by a leafstalk.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Idioms and Phrases with leaf through

leaf through

Turn pages, as in browsing or searching for something. For example, There she sat, leafing through the various catalogs. This expression employs leaf in the sense of “turn over the leaves of a book,” a usage dating from the mid-1600s.

leaf

In addition to the idiom beginning with leaf

  • leaf through

also see:

  • quake in one's boots (like a leaf)
  • take a leaf out of someone's book
  • turn over a new leaf
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.