transitive verb
-·at·ed, -·at·ing- to strip (trees, etc.) of leaves
- to use a defoliant on
Origin of defoliate
from Late Latin defoliatus, past participle of defoliare from de-, from + folium, a leaf: see foliatedefoliate
de·fo·li·ateWebster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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MLA Style
"defoliate." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 17 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/defoliate>.
APA Style
defoliate. (n.d.). Retrieved December 17th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/defoliate
defoliate
verb
de·fo·li·at·ed, de·fo·li·at·ing, de·fo·li·atesverb
transitive- To deprive (a plant or a vegetated area, for example) of leaves.
- To cause the leaves of (a plant or plants) to fall off, especially by the use of chemicals.
verb
intransitiveTo lose foliage.
Origin of defoliate
Late Latin dēfoliāre dēfoliāt-Latin dē- de- Latin folium leaf ; see bhel-3 in Indo-European roots.Related Forms:
- de·fo′li·ate
adjective
- de·fo′li·a′tion
noun
- de·fo′li·a′tor
noun
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"defoliate." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 17 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/defoliate>.
APA Style
defoliate. (n.d.). Retrieved December 17th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/defoliate
Verb
(third-person singular simple present defoliates, present participle defoliating, simple past and past participle defoliated)
- To remove foliage from (one or more plants), most often with a chemical agent.
- Agent Orange was used to defoliate jungle vegetation.
Adjective
(comparative more defoliate, superlative most defoliate)
- Deprived of leaves; defoliated.
Origin
de- + foliate
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"defoliate." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 17 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/defoliate>.
APA Style
defoliate. (n.d.). Retrieved December 17th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/defoliate
