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leaf

leaf

6 7.7
A single sheet of paper in a book or manuscript
  • noun
  • /liːf/
: hoja
  • Ada closed the book and plucked a boxwood leaf as a page marker.
  • loose-leaf

Examples

  • Marcia showed Kaye her leaf assortment to send to a friend in California.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Please write your notes on a leaf of paper for class tomorrow.

  • Why is it written on a leaf?

  • All of our materials are loose leaf.

  • The first sections of the loose-leaf publication are due out this month.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Taped to the window in front of him is another piece of loose-leaf paper headed YOUR SCHEDULE.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • So let's get everything off our desks except for a pen or pencil and two pieces of loose-leaf paper.

  • Each leaf in the book contains an illustration that enhances the text.

  • He accidentally skipped a leaf while reading the manuscript aloud.

Synonyms

sheet
vsleaf
392 1.0

A single piece of paper used for writing or printing

is the same idea but limited to pages in books or manuscripts
208 1.0

A single flat sheet used for writing or printing

is part of a bound book rather than a loose separate sheet
35 1.0

A single flat piece of paper used for writing or printing

is specifically one page inside a bound manuscript or book
folio
vsleaf
  • Specialized
3 8.6

A single sheet of paper from an old or handwritten book

is a single page within a manuscript or bound book

Idioms

2 4.6

To tremble a lot because you are afraid, nervous, or cold

Copy what someone does to get the same results

Compounds

10 2.3

A dried leaf that flavors soups and stews

A small green plant with four leaves that people think brings luck

8 4.3

Very thin sheets of gold used to decorate objects and food

fig leaf
  • Informal
7 6.7

Something used to hide a wrong or embarrassing action

5 1.0

A dried leaf from the tea plant used to make a hot drink

4 2.7

A large lobed leaf from a fig tree

4 1.0

A broad leaf from an oak tree with deep rounded edges

3 1.0

A young leaf that has just started to grow on a plant

An herb with flat broad leaves that people use in cooking for its strong flavor

1 2.3

A type of lettuce with loose, curled leaves used in salads

maple-leaf
  • Canadian
1 3.3

A red leaf shape that represents Canada on its flag

1 7.3

A small bee that cuts pieces of leaves to line its nest

leaf lard
  • Specialized
1 8.7

A soft, good quality pig fat from around the kidneys that people use in baking

leaf spring
  • Specialized
1 6.4

A long set of metal strips under a vehicle that absorbs shocks

leaf mold
  • Specialized
1 4.9

Soil made mostly of dead leaves that have rotted to help plants grow

leaf shape
  • Specialized
1 2.8

The outline of a leaf that helps identify plants

1 6.7

A small bright insect that feeds on plant juices, often on leaves

1 4.0

A badge shaped like a leaf from an oak tree worn to show rank or honor

1 3.2

A small leaf used in South Indian and Sri Lankan cooking to add a strong smell and taste

betel leaf
  • Indian
1 7.7

A green leaf from a vine used in Asia for chewing with a nut or tobacco

leaf miner
  • Specialized
1 7.1

A baby insect that lives inside leaves and makes pale tunnels or spots

A bat with a leaflike flap of skin on its nose that helps it find food at night

1 8.6

A small metal pin attached to a medal to show the person received that medal again

pinnate leaf
  • Specialized
1 7.1

A leaf with smaller leaves along a central stem like a feather

1 9.1

A layer of fat around a pig's kidneys used to make lard

leaf scorch
  • Specialized
1 7.6

Leaves with brown edges that look burned from heat, drought or poor watering

1 3.5

A small part on a branch that grows into leaves not flowers

1 7.0

A leaf from the sassafras tree that adds flavor to food and drinks

short-leaf pine
  • Specialized
1 7.4

A large pine tree with short needles that grows in the southern United States

1 6.7

A small brightly colored beetle that eats plant leaves and whose young damage roots and stems

1 3.2

A problem that makes a plant's leaves sick or damaged

1 6.8

A plant disease that makes leaves turn brown and fall early

1 7.8

A hinged part of a table you lift to make more space

A table with sides that fold down to save space and lift up to make it larger

big-leaf maple
  • Specialized
1 6.0

A large western North American tree with very big leaves that have five parts and turn orange in autumn

1 4.6

A leaf with deep cuts that make rounded or pointed parts, like an oak leaf

1 3.7

A broad flat part of a leaf that is not the stalk

1 5.9

A leaf with edges like small saw teeth pointing toward the tip

compound leaf
  • Specialized
1 5.4

A flat plant part divided into several small leaflets joined to one stalk

elliptic leaf
  • Specialized
1 6.9

A leaf shaped like a long oval that is widest in the middle and narrows equally to each end

A type of lettuce with loose leaves that do not form a head

oblong leaf
  • Specialized
1 4.4

A leaf longer than it is wide with nearly parallel sides and rounded ends

seed leaf
  • Specialized
1 5.5

First leaf or pair of leaves inside a seed that feed the young plant

1 9.9

A tree from tropical America with shiny leaves, hard wood, and small purple fruit

1 2.3

Gathering fallen leaves with a rake

leaf insect
  • Indian
1 6.3

An insect that looks like a leaf to hide among leaves

leaf node
  • Specialized
1 7.0

A small bump on a stem where leaves grow

simple leaf
  • Specialized
1 3.5

A single flat leaf blade not divided into leaflets

leaf roller
  • Specialized
1 8.4

A small moth whose caterpillars roll leaves and tie them with silk to make a nest

1 3.5

A vegetable with large green leaves and thick stalks that people grow for its edible stems and leaves

1 9.1

A low plant with heart-shaped leaves that grows in shady places

palmate leaf
  • Specialized
1 6.5

A leaf with parts that spread from one point like an open hand

lanceolate leaf
  • Specialized
1 8.2

A long narrow leaf that is widest in the middle and pointed at both ends

narrow-leaf cattail
  • Specialized
1 7.3

A tall marsh plant with long narrow leaves and a brown flower head

entire leaf
  • Specialized
1 6.7

A leaf with a smooth edge and no teeth or notches

floral leaf
  • Specialized
1 6.1

A part of a flower that looks like a petal or sepal

A large insect that feeds on plant juices and has leaf-shaped parts on its back legs

A small evergreen shrub or tree with spiny leaves and white flowers

ovate leaf
  • Specialized
1 6.4

A leaf shaped like an egg with the wider end at the base

1 9.0

A small black insect whose young live inside birch leaves and eat them

1 5.6

The shape of a plant leaf that helps identify species

A bee that cuts pieces from leaves to make its nest

1 9.9

A small herb with round yellow flowers and a strong smell that people use to flavor food or tea

peltate leaf
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A round leaf with the stem attached near the middle, like a nasturtium leaf

single-leaf
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A pine tree with one needle per bundle that makes nuts people eat

deltoid leaf
  • Specialized
1 7.5

A leaf shaped like a triangle with a broad base and pointed tip

elongate leaf
  • Specialized
1 5.6

A long thin leaf that is much longer than it is wide

A large insect that sucks plant sap and has leaflike hind legs

leaf-book
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A very old book made of loose pages rather than a scroll

1 9.1

A pale blotched desert snake with a short blunt nose from southwestern North America that is not dangerous to people

single-leaf pinyon
  • Specialized
1 7.9

A small pine tree with one needle in each group and edible nuts, native to the United States southwest

1 8.6

A plant with large soft leaves that feel like velvet

bijugate leaf
  • Specialized
9.9

A leaf that has two pairs of leaflets on its stalk

How Thick

volume
150 4.2
booklet
38 1.9
cahier
  • Specialized
9.9
signature
  • Specialized
1 7.8
leaf
6 7.7

Surface Forms

leaf singular
leaves plural

Etymology

Leaf for a page comes from the plant sense: a single sheet of paper in a book was likened to a flat 'leaf'. So a torn or loose leaf in a book is just a flat piece of paper like a plant leaf.