How do you pronounce foliage?: Usage Guide
The disyllabic pronunciation \ˈfō-lij\ is very common. Some commentators insist that foliage requires a trisyllabic pronunciation because of its spelling, but words of a similar pattern such as carriage and marriage do not fall under their prescription. The pronunciation \ˈfȯi-lij\ is disapproved because it suggests the transposition of the l and i in the spelling. It is not as common as \ˈfō-lij\ and may be associated with the nonstandard spelling foilage.
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How Do You Pronounce foliage?
Whether you’re a casual leaf peeper or a card-carrying botanist, a staunch New Englander or Caribbean beach bum, there’s plenty to love about foliage—though the pronunciation of foliage has long been a point of contention among English speakers. Most commonly accepted is the trisyllabic \FOH-lee-ij\. However, there’s no denying that the pronunciations \FOH-lij\ and even \FOY-lij\ have also staked their claim. The first of these disputed pronunciations is consistent with the pronunciation of the -iage ending in marriage and carriage. The second is often more fiercely denounced, in part because of its association with the nonstandard spelling foilage. But there’s redemption for this estranged pronunciation: foliage traces back to Middle French foille ("leaf"), which is also the source of the English word foil (as in "aluminum foil"). When adopted by Middle English speakers, foil originally meant "leaf." Love it or leaf it, there’s just no taking the "foil" out of foliage.
Synonyms
Examples of foliage in a Sentence
Daisy Shaw-Ellis, Vogue, 24 Apr. 2024
Excursions include a fall foliage trip, a winter Santa train, and more.
—Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 16 Apr. 2024
Plant it near the back of the woody plant border, perhaps behind Carissa or dwarf yaupon hollies that can provide dark evergreen foliage as a nice contrast.
—Neil Sperry, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Apr. 2024
This feathery foliage is ideal as an evergreen, low-growing shrub.
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 9 Apr. 2024
Fuzzy, green summer foliage turns to wine/red/orange in fall.
—Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 5 Apr. 2024
Related Articles Take multiple stops along the trail down to inhale those blissful beach vistas — and those emerald foliage views and those swaying-palm views.
—Tom Bentley, The Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2024
The Fire Chief, another type of Arborvitae, has foliage that is a blend of orange and yellow.
—Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 13 Apr. 2024
Set back from the road, the estate is surrounded by lush foliage that ensures privacy, and the large pool is surrounded by stone terracing with plenty of room for taking in the summer sun.
—Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 11 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'foliage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Foliage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foliage. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
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