leaf

[Leaf]

A leaf is part of a plant that's usually green and attached to it by a stem or stalk. In the fall, the leaves of many trees turn various bright colors before falling to the ground. In the spring, trees grow new leaves. Ahhh, the circle of life.

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A colored, usually green, expansion growing from the side of a stem or rootstock, in which the sap for the use of the plant is elaborated under the influence of light; one of the parts of a plant which collectively constitute its foliage.

Noun
hinged or detachable flat section (as of a table or door)

Noun
a sheet of any written or printed material (especially in a manuscript or book)

Noun
the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants

Verb
produce leaves, of plants

Verb
turn over pages; "leaf through a book"; "leaf a manuscript"

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Verb
look through a book or other written material; "He thumbed through the report"; "She leafed through the volume"

n.
A colored, usually green, expansion growing from the side of a stem or rootstock, in which the sap for the use of the plant is elaborated under the influence of light; one of the parts of a plant which collectively constitute its foliage.

n.
A special organ of vegetation in the form of a lateral outgrowth from the stem, whether appearing as a part of the foliage, or as a cotyledon, a scale, a bract, a spine, or a tendril.

n.
Something which is like a leaf in being wide and thin and having a flat surface, or in being attached to a larger body by one edge or end; as : (a) A part of a book or folded sheet containing two pages upon its opposite sides. (b) A side, division, or part, that slides or is hinged, as of window shutters, folding doors, etc. (c) The movable side of a table. (d) A very thin plate; as, gold leaf. (e) A portion of fat lying in a separate fold or layer. (f) One of the teeth of a pinion, especially when small.

v. i.
To shoot out leaves; to produce leaves; to leave; as, the trees leaf in May.

Leaf

Leaf , n.; pl. Leaves . [OE. leef, lef, leaf, AS. le'a0f; akin to S. lf, OFries. laf, D. loof foliage, G. laub,OHG. loub leaf, foliage, Icel. lauf, Sw. l'94f, Dan. l'94v, Goth. laufs; cf. Lith. lapas. Cf. Lodge.] 1. (Bot.) A colored, usually green, expansion growing from the side of a stem or rootstock, in which the sap for the use of the plant is elaborated under the influence of light; one of the parts of a plant which collectively constitute its foliage. &hand; Such leaves usually consist of a blade, or lamina , supported upon a leafstalk or petiole, which, continued through the blade as the midrib, gives off woody ribs and veins that support the cellular texture. The petiole has usually some sort of an appendage on each side of its base, which is called the stipule. The green parenchyma of the leaf is covered with a thin epiderm pierced with closable microscopic openings, known as stomata. 2. (Bot.) A special organ of vegetation in the form of a lateral outgrowth from the stem, whether appearing as a part of the foliage, or as a cotyledon, a scale, a bract, a spine, or a tendril. &hand; In this view every part of a plant, except the root and the stem, is either a leaf, or is composed of leaves more or less modified and transformed. 3. Something which is like a leaf in being wide and thin and having a flat surface, or in being attached to a larger body by one edge or end; as : (a) A part of a book or folded sheet containing two pages upon its opposite sides. (b) A side, division, or part, that slides or is hinged, as of window shutters, folding doors, etc. (c) The movable side of a table. (d) A very thin plate; as, gold leaf. (e) A portion of fat lying in a separate fold or layer. (f) One of the teeth of a pinion, especially when small. Leaf beetle (Zo'94l.), any beetle which feeds upon leaves; esp., any species of the family Chrysomelid'91, as the potato beetle and helmet beetle. -- Leaf bridge, a draw-bridge having a platform or leaf which swings vertically on hinges. -- Leaf bud (Bot.), a bud which develops into leaves or a leafy branch. -- Leaf butterfly (Zo'94l.), any butterfly which, in the form and colors of its wings, resembles the leaves of plants upon which it rests; esp., butterflies of the genus Kallima, found in Southern Asia and the East Indies. -- Leaf crumpler (Zo'94l.), a small moth (Phycis indigenella), the larva of which feeds upon leaves of the apple tree, and forms its nest by crumpling and fastening leaves together in clusters. -- Leaf cutter (Zo'94l.) , any one of various species of wild bees of the genus Megachile, which cut rounded pieces from the edges of leaves, or the petals of flowers, to be used in the construction of their nests, which are made in holes and crevices, or in a leaf rolled up for the purpose. Among the common American species are M. brevis and M. centuncularis. Called also rose-cutting bee. -- Leaf fat, the fat which lies in leaves or layers within the body of an animal. -- Leaf flea (Zo'94l.), a jumping plant louse of the family Psyllid'91. -- Leaf frog (Zo'94l.), any tree frog of the genus Phyllomedusa. -- Leaf green.(Bot.) See Chlorophyll. -- Leaf hopper (Zo'94l.), any small jumping hemipterous insect of the genus Tettigonia, and allied genera. They live upon the leaves and twigs of plants. See Live hopper. -- Leaf insect (Zo'94l.), any one of several genera and species of orthopterous insects, esp. of the genus Phyllium, in which the wings, and sometimes the legs, resemble leaves in color and form. They are common in Southern Asia and the East Indies. -- Leaf lard, lard from leaf fat. See under Lard. -- Leaf louse (Zo'94l.), an aphid. -- Leaf metal, metal in thin leaves, as gold, silver, or tin. -- Leaf miner (Zo'94l.), any one of various small lepidopterous and dipterous insects, which, in the larval stages, burrow in and eat the parenchyma of leaves; as, the pear-tree leaf miner (Lithocolletis geminatella). -- Leaf notcher (Zo'94l.), a pale bluish green beetle (Artipus Floridanus), which, in Florida, eats the edges of the leaves of orange trees. -- Leaf roller (Zo'94l.), the larva of any tortricid moth which makes a nest by rolling up the leaves of plants. See Tortrix. -- Leaf scar (Bot.), the cicatrix on a stem whence a leaf has fallen. -- Leaf sewer (Zo'94l.), a tortricid moth, whose caterpillar makes a nest by rolling up a leaf and fastening the edges together with silk, as if sewn; esp., Phoxopteris nubeculana, which feeds upon the apple tree. -- Leaf sight, a hinges sight on a firearm, which can be raised or folded down. -- Leaf trace (Bot.), one or more fibrovascular bundles, which may be traced down an endogenous stem from the base of a leaf. -- Leaf tier (Zo'94l.), a tortricid moth whose larva makes a nest by fastening the edges of a leaf together with silk; esp., Teras cinderella, found on the apple tree. -- Leaf valve, a valve which moves on a hinge. -- Leaf wasp (Zo'94l.), a sawfiy. -- To turn over a new leaf, to make a radical change for the better in one's way of living or doing. [Colloq.]

They were both determined to turn over a new leaf.

Leaf

Leaf , v. i. [imp. & p. p. Leafed ; p. pr. & vb. n. Leafing.] To shoot out leaves; to produce leaves; to leave; as, the trees leaf in May. Sir T. Browne.

A colored, usually green, expansion growing from the side of a stem or rootstock, in which the sap for the use of the plant is elaborated under the influence of light; one of the parts of a plant which collectively constitute its foliage.

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Usage Examples

Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime.

My coming to faith did not start with a leap but rather a series of staggers from what seemed like one safe place to another. Like lily pads, round and green, these places summoned and then held me up while I grew. Each prepared me for the next leaf on which I would land, and in this way I moved across the swamp of doubt and fear.

Faith makes all evil good to us, and all good better unbelief makes all good evil, and all evil worse. Faith laughs at the shaking of the spear unbelief trembles at the shaking of a leaf.

Ryan Leaf is doing great now. If he progresses the way he is now, we're going to have a quarterback that's going to be reckoned with in the near future. And that's not political.

Misspelled Form

leaf, kleaf, oleaf, pleaf, :leaf, keaf, oeaf, peaf, :eaf, lkeaf, loeaf, lpeaf, l:eaf, lweaf, l3eaf, l4eaf, lreaf, lseaf, ldeaf, lwaf, l3af, l4af, lraf, lsaf, ldaf, lewaf, le3af, le4af, leraf, lesaf, ledaf, leqaf, lewaf, lesaf, lezaf, leqf, lewf, lesf, lezf, leaqf, leawf, leasf, leazf, leadf, learf, leatf, leagf, leavf, leacf, lead, lear, leat, leag, leav, leac, leafd, leafr, leaft, leafg, leafv, leafc.

Other Usage Examples

A leaf fluttered in through the window this morning, as if supported by the rays of the sun, a bird settled on the fire escape, joy in the task of coffee, joy accompanied me as I walked.

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.

I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey-work of the stars.

I never leaf through a copy of National Geographic without realizing how lucky we are to live in a society where it is traditional to wear clothes.

Let your life lightly dance on the edges of Time like dew on the tip of a leaf.