defoliate

English

Etymology

From de- +‎ foliate.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /diːˈfəʊliː(j)eɪt/

Verb

defoliate (third-person singular simple present defoliates, present participle defoliating, simple past and past participle defoliated)

1. (transitive) To remove foliage from (one or more plants), most often with a chemical agent.

   Agent Orange was used to defoliate jungle vegetation.

   • 2020, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments, Minneapolis: Milkweed Editions, →ISBN, page 2:

     These leaves are the moth’s only source of food, and if left unchecked, the caterpillars can completely defoliate a single mighty tree.

Derived terms

• defoliant
• defoliation
• defoliator
• nondefoliating

Translations

to remove foliage from plants

Bulgarian: обезлистявам (obezlistjavam) French: défolier (fr) German: entlauben (de) Maori: kōmuku Spanish: defoliar (es) Swedish: avlöva

Adjective

defoliate (comparative more defoliate, superlative most defoliate)

1. Deprived of leaves; defoliated.

Anagrams

• fileteado

Interlingua

Adjective

defoliate (not comparable)

1. leafless

Italian

Etymology 1

Verb

defoliate

1. inflection of defoliare:
   1. second-person plural present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person plural imperative

Etymology 2

Participle

defoliate f pl

1. feminine plural of defoliato

Spanish

Verb

defoliate

1. second-person singular voseo imperative of defoliar combined with te