de-leaf

verb

(ˌ)dē-ˈlēf 

variants or deleaf

de-leafed or deleafed; de-leafing or deleafing; de-leafs or deleafs

transitive + intransitive

: to remove leaves from (a plant)

Every afternoon, farmers walk down from the encircling hills with bundles of sprigs, deleafed and wrapped in banana leaves to conserve moisture on the all-night drive to Nairobi …

—Michael Griffin

They also train the vine canopy higher, which increases water evaporation from the leaves, and de-leaf more, hoping to increase airflow and prevent disease.

—Mitch Frank

Word History

First Known Use

1922, in the meaning defined above