- defoliate
- defoliate 1793, perhaps a back formation from DEFOLIATION (Cf. defoliation). Earlier in this sense was defoil (c.1600).
Etymology dictionary. 2014.
defoliate
Look at other dictionaries:
Defoliate — De*fo li*ate, Defoliated De*fo li*a ted a. Deprived of leaves, as by their natural fall. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
defoliate — de*fol i*ate, v. t. [LL. defoliare, to shed leaves; L. de + folium leaf: cf. F. d[ e]foliation.] to cause (a plant) to shed its leaves. [PJC] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
defoliate — index denude Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
defoliate — ► VERB ▪ remove leaves or foliage from (trees or plants). DERIVATIVES defoliation noun. ORIGIN Latin defoliare, from folium leaf … English terms dictionary
defoliate — [dē fō′lēāt΄] vt. defoliated, defoliating [< LL defoliatus, pp. of defoliare < de , from + folium, a leaf: see FOLIATE] 1. to strip (trees, etc.) of leaves ☆ 2. to use a defoliant on defoliation n. defoliator n … English World dictionary
defoliate — [[t]di͟ːfo͟ʊlieɪt[/t]] defoliates, defoliating, defoliated VERB To defoliate an area or the plants in it means to cause the leaves on the plants to fall off or be destroyed. This is done especially in war to remove protection from an enemy. [V n] … English dictionary
defoliate — UK [diːˈfəʊlɪeɪt] / US [dɪˈfoʊlɪˌeɪt] verb [transitive] Word forms defoliate : present tense I/you/we/they defoliate he/she/it defoliates present participle defoliating past tense defoliated past participle defoliated to remove the leaves from a… … English dictionary
defoliate — verb To remove foliage from one or more plants, most often with a chemical agent. :: Agent Orange was used to defoliate jungle vegetation … Wiktionary
defoliate — transitive verb Etymology: Late Latin defoliatus, past participle of defoliare, from Latin de + folium leaf more at blade Date: 1791 to deprive of leaves especially prematurely • defoliation noun • defoliator noun … New Collegiate Dictionary
defoliate — defoliation, n. defoliator, n. v. /dee foh lee ayt /; adj. /dee foh lee it, ayt /, v., defoliated, defoliating, adj. v.t. 1. to strip (a tree, bush, etc.) of leaves. 2. to destroy or cause widespread loss of leaves in (an area of jungle, forest,… … Universalium
