leaf

[ leef ]

/ lif /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR leaf ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural leaves [leevz] /livz/.

one of the expanded, usually green organs borne by the stem of a plant.

any similar or corresponding lateral outgrowth of a stem.

a petal: a rose leaf.

leaves collectively; foliage.

Bibliography. a unit generally comprising two printed, blank, or illustrated pages of a book, one on each side.

a thin sheet of metal: silver leaf.

a lamina or layer.

a sliding, hinged, or detachable flat part, as of a door or tabletop.

a section of a drawbridge.

a single strip of metal in a leaf spring.

a tooth of a small gear wheel, as of a pinion.

leaf fat.

Textiles. shaft(def 14).

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.

Nearby words

Idioms

in leaf, covered with foliage; having leaves: the pale green tint of the woods newly in leaf.

take a leaf out of/fromsomeone's book, to follow someone's example; imitate: Some countries that took a leaf out of American industry's book are now doing very well for themselves.

turn over a new leaf, to begin anew; make a fresh start: Every New Year's we make resolutions to turn over a new leaf.

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

Examples from the Web for leafless

She walked down the bluestone and blacktop driveway and through shadows thrown by the branches of seven leafless oak trees.
Jimmy Breslin on JFK’s Assassination: Two Classic Columns|Jimmy Breslin|November 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In the leafless hills of western Connecticut, this is the only Christmas spirit that could possibly matter now.
On the Loss of Innocents|Justin Green|December 16, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Advancing to meet them, he took the torch from Regulus's hand and fired a mass of dead and leafless vine depending from the cliff.
Prisoners of Hope|Mary Johnston
The camels that had subsisted upon the dried and leafless twigs and branches, now feasted upon the succulent tops of the mimosas.
In the Heart of Africa|Samuel White Baker

Now, considering that snow falls in winter when the trees are bare, dont you think the word should have been leafless?
The Talk of the Town, Volume 1 (of 2)|James Payn
The sun shone down through the bare, beautiful twigs of the leafless elms, in a still air, transparent and colorless.
The Brimming Cup|Dorothy Canfield Fisher
Spring was faintly heralded in milder weather, by the return of the birds, and the presence of little buds on the leafless trees.
Andy at Yale|Roy Eliot Stokes

British Dictionary definitions for leafless

leaf

/ (liːf) /

noun plural leaves (liːvz)

the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants, usually consisting of a flat green blade attached to the stem directly or by a stalkRelated adjectives: foliar, foliate

foliage collectively

in leaf (of shrubs, trees, etc) having a full complement of foliage leaves

one of the sheets of paper in a book

a hinged, sliding, or detachable part, such as an extension to a table

metal in the form of a very thin flexible sheetgold leaf

a foil or thin strip of metal in a composite material; lamina

short for leaf spring

the inner or outer wall of a cavity wall

a crop that is harvested in the form of leaves

a metal strip forming one of the laminations in a leaf spring

a slang word for marijuana

take a leaf out of someone's book or take a leaf from someone's book to imitate someone, esp in one particular course of action

turn over a new leaf to begin a new and improved course of behaviour

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 leafless (1 of 3)

leafless

adj.

1580s, from leaf (n.) + -less.

Word Origin and History for leafless (1 of 3)

leaf

"to turn over (the pages of a book)," 1660s, from leaf (n.). The notion of a book page also is in the phrase to turn over a (new) leaf (1570s). Related: Leafed; leaved; leafing.

Word Origin and History for leafless (2 of 3)

leaf

Old English leaf "leaf of a plant; page of a book," from Proto-Germanic *laubaz (cf. Old Saxon lof, Old Norse lauf, Old Frisian laf, Dutch loof, Old High German loub, German Laub "foliage, leaves," Gothic lauf), perhaps from PIE *leup- "to peel off, break off" (cf. Lithuanian luobas, Old Church Slavonic lubu "bark, rind"). Extended 15c. to very thin sheets of metal (especially gold). Meaning "hinged flap on the side of a table" is from 1550s.

Science definitions for leafless

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.

Idioms and Phrases with leafless

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

leaf

noun, plural leaves [leevz] /livz/.

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of leaf

Examples from the Web for leafless

British Dictionary definitions for leafless

leaf

noun plural leaves (liːvz)

verb

Word Origin for leaf

Word Origin and History for leafless (1 of 3)

leafless

Word Origin and History for leafless (1 of 3)

leaf

Word Origin and History for leafless (2 of 3)

leaf

Science definitions for leafless

leaf

Idioms and Phrases with leafless

leaf