leaf
noun /liːf/
/liːf/
(plural leaves
Idioms /liːvz/
/liːvz/
)
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enlarge image[countable] a flat green part of a plant, growing from a stem or branch or from the root- lettuce/cabbage/oak leaves
- the dead leaves of autumn/the fall
- The leaves on the trees were beginning to turn from green to orange.
- in leaf Few trees are in leaf yet.
- The trees are just coming into leaf.
Collocations The living worldThe living worldAnimalssee also bay leaf, curry leaf, fig leaf, maple leaf, tea leaf- animals mate/breed/reproduce/feed (on something)
- fish/amphibians swim/spawn (= lay eggs)
- birds fly/migrate/nest/sing
- insects crawl/fly/bite/sting
- insects/bees/locusts swarm
- bees collect/gather nectar/pollen
- spiders spin/weave a web
- snakes/lizards shed their skins
- bears/hedgehogs/frogs hibernate
- insect larvae grow/develop/pupate
- an egg/a chick/a larva hatches
- attract/find/choose a mate
- produce/release eggs/sperm
- lay/fertilize/incubate/hatch eggs
- inhabit a forest/a reef/the coast
- mark/enter/defend (a) territory
- stalk/hunt/capture/catch/kill prey
- trees/plants grow/bloom/blossom/flower
- a seed germinates/sprouts
- leaves/buds/roots/shoots appear/develop/form
- flower buds swell/open
- a fungus grows/spreads/colonizes something
- pollinate/fertilize a flower/plant
- produce/release/spread/disperse pollen/seeds/spores
- produce/bear fruit
- develop/grow/form roots/shoots/leaves
- provide/supply/absorb/extract/release nutrients
- perform/increase/reduce photosynthesis
- bacteria/microbes/viruses grow/spread/multiply
- bacteria/microbes live/thrive in/on something
- bacteria/microbes/viruses evolve/colonize something/cause disease
- bacteria break something down/convert something (into something)
- a virus enters/invades something/the body
- a virus mutates/evolves/replicates (itself)
- be infected with/contaminated with/exposed to a new strain of a virus/drug-resistant bacteria
- contain/carry/harbour bacteria/a virus
- kill/destroy/eliminate harmful/deadly bacteria
Extra ExamplesTopics Plants and treesb1- Deciduous trees shed their leaves in autumn.
- The leaves of this plant are from 1 to 1½ inches in length.
- He picked a leaf from the basil plant and started to chew it.
- In the spring the plant began to put out new leaves.
- It was spring and the trees were coming into leaf.
- Spring arrived and the first green leaves began to appear.
- Stop trying to read tea leaves.
- The boys helped by raking the leaves in the yard.
- The corn was already ripening and the trees in full leaf.
- The ground was thick with dead leaves.
- The leaves rustled in the light breeze.
- The summer was over and the leaves were beginning to turn.
- This plant has beautifully variegated leaves.
- Throw the tea leaves on the flower bed.
- broad leaf plants
- dry leaves blowing in the wind
- the leaf litter on the forest floor
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- new
- young
- autumn
- …
- have
- come into
- grow
- …
- appear
- emerge
- grow
- …
- litter
- mould/mold
- in full leaf
- -leaf, -leafed, -leaved(in adjectives) having leaves of the type or number mentioned
- a four-leaf clover
- a broad-leaved plant
- [countable] a sheet of paper, especially a page in a book
- She carefully turned the leaves of the precious volume.
- [uncountable] metal, especially gold or silver, in the form of very thin sheets
- gold leaf
- [countable] a part of a table that can be lifted up, or an extra section that can be added into the table, in order to make the table bigger
Word OriginOld English lēaf, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch loof and German Laub.
Idioms
take a leaf from/out of somebody’s book
- to copy somebody’s behaviour and do things in the same way that they do, because they are successful
turn over a new leaf
- to change your way of life to become a better, more responsible person