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.
Did you know?
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
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
This perennial plant is known for having silvery foliage, appearing thick and softly textured.
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 9 Apr. 2024
That street has the right foliage and the architectural style to match West Palm Beach in the 1960s.
—Katie Bowman, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Mar. 2024
Some hollies have beautifully colorful, variegated foliage.
—Kate Morgan, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2024
So was there, the temple was surrounded by jungle foliage, and the stones were a glossy black.
—Stephanie Yang, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024
The black carpet was surrounded by faux foliage, reminiscent of Kong’s home Skull Island.
—Selena Kuznikov, Variety, 31 Mar. 2024
The shorter, naked branches will quickly clothe themselves in new foliage.
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 27 Mar. 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.
Articles Related to foliage
Dictionary Entries Near foliage
Cite this Entry
“Foliage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foliage. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Share