leaf
(liːf )
Word forms: leaves , leafs , leafing , leafed
1. countable noun [usually plural, oft in/into N] B1
The leaves of a tree or plant are the parts that are flat, thin, and usually green. Many trees and plants lose their leaves in the winter and grow new leaves in the spring.
In the garden, the leaves of the horse chestnut had already fallen. [+ of]
The Japanese maple that stands across the drive had just come into leaf.
Synonyms: frond, flag, needle, pad
2. See also -leaved
3. countable noun
A leaf is one of the pieces of paper of which a book is made.
He flattened the wrappers and put them between the leaves of his book. [+ of]
Synonyms: page, sheet, folio
4. to take a leaf from someone's book phrase
If you take a leaf from someone's book you behave in the same way as them because you want to be like that person or as successful as they are.
Maybe we should take a leaf out of Branson's book. It's easy to see how he became a billionaire.
5. to turn over a new leaf phrase
If you say that you are going to turn over a new leaf, you mean that you are going to start to behave in a better or more acceptable way.
He realized he was in the wrong and promised to turn over a new leaf.
Synonyms: reform, change, improve, amend
6. to shake like a leaf phrase [VERB inflects]
If you say that someone is shaking like a leaf, you mean that their body is shaking a lot, for instance because they are very cold or frightened.
I didn't think about the danger at the time. Afterwards I was shaking like a leaf.
Phrasal verbs:
leaf through
phrasal verb
If you leaf through something such as a book or magazine, you turn the pages without reading or looking at them very carefully.
Most patients derive enjoyment from leafing through old picture albums. [VERB PARTICLE noun]
Image of leaf
© azure1, Shutterstock
Idioms:
a fig leaf
something which is intended to hide an embarrassing or awkward situation
It seems that the pledge to rejoin the ERM was a fig leaf, designed to indicate that the government's economic strategy was not dead but merely sleeping.
Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
turn over a new leaf
to start to behave in a better or more acceptable way than previously
The military leader said he and the king have agreed to turn over a new leaf in their relations with one another.
Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
take a leaf out of someone's book
to copy someone and behave or do something in the same way as them, usually because they were successful when they acted in that way
If he wants a better rapport with the British public, it's high time he took a leaf out of Bruno's book and started doing game shows, even pantomimes.
Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
shake like a leaf
to shake because you are cold, afraid, or nervous
At three o'clock in the morning she sat up suddenly in bed, shaking like a leaf.
Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Collocations:
leaf litter leaf mulch leaf stalks leaf vein thyme leaves
Ideally lots of decaying leaf litter, never too dry and never too wet.
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They show up in clusters among old leaf litter and can be found near oak, beech and pine trees.
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They are fond of the southern sides of windrows, long lines of swept-up leaf litter.
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The darkness was tangible, the leaf litter scattered with fallen trees and huge logs.
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An iguana appeared like a miniature dinosaur, lumbering through the leaf litter.
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It will feast on the nutrients in the leaf mulch.
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We're suited to the damp, we like kicking through leaf mulch and scraping frost from wing-mirrors.
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They will decompose more quickly into nutritious leaf mulch if you have already chopped them up a bit.
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Your on-trend white trainers are spattered from the puddles and leaf mulch.
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Long leaves spread evenly around each leader, but it's the bright red leaf stalks that make it stand out from the crowd.
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Things to look for include brown or black leaf stalks, discolouration of healthy olive green bark to purple and brown, and diamondshaped lesions on branches.
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The leaf stalks are red, as are the tips of the propellor-like seeds that are now developing.
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Sycamores are looking colourful, with red leaf stalks, and bunches of winged seeds that on most trees are now pink and green.
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Females predominate on the leaf stalks and fruit while males predominate on the leaves.
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Leaves that are glabrous to slightly hairy on the abaxial side, especially near the leaf vein axils.
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The first leaf vein on either side of the mid rib extends from the leaf base, to over half the length of the leaf.
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First instar larvae create a tunnel of silk along the leaf vein and feeds underneath on the surface tissue.
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Small hairy tufts may be found where the lateral leaf veins meet the mid rib leaf vein.
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Domatia often occur where the main leaf vein meets the lateral veins.
Retrieved from Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0
Arrange the carrots in a heavy-based roasting tin, drizzle with the honey and pomegranate molasses, scatter on the thyme leaves and season well.
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Rub the meat all over with salt, pepper and some thyme leaves.
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Put the cooked vegetables, sliced chilli (deseeded if you like) and thyme leaves on top, making sure to pack the vegetables tightly.
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Portion up and serve with a fine grating of parmesan and a sprinkling of picked thyme leaves.
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Brush generously with olive oil and sprinkle over a good pinch of salt and a few more thyme leaves.
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Translations:
Chinese: 树叶
Japanese: 葉