n.
Pronunciation: ' f ō -l ē -ij also -lyij; ÷ ' f ō -lij, ÷ ' fo ̇ i-lij
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle French fuellage, from foille leaf ― more at FOIL
Date: 1598
1 : a representation of leaves, flowers, and branches for architectural ornamentation
2 : the aggregate of leaves of one or more plants
3 : a cluster of leaves, flowers, and branches
– fo · liaged \ -l ē -ijd also -lyijd; ÷ ' f ō -lijd, ÷ ' fo ̇ i- \ adjective
usage The disyllabic pronunciation \ ' f ō -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 \ ' fo ̇ i-lij \ is disapproved because it suggests the transposition of the l and i in the spelling. It is not as common as \ ' f ō -lij \ and may be associated with the nonstandard spelling foilage.