defoliate

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“
The US military used Agent Orange, named after its orange-striped containers, to defoliate areas believed to be harbouring opposing forces.

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Definitions (8)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (3)

  1. transitive verb To deprive (a plant, tree, or forest) of leaves.
  2. transitive verb To cause the leaves of (a plant, tree, or forest) to fall off, especially by the use of chemicals.
  3. intransitive verb To lose foliage.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (2)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (1)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (2)

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Examples (44)

  • It wants to defoliate miles and miles of brush along the banks of the Rio Grande so that no one can hide in the canebrakes. —  AlterNet.org Main RSS Feed
  • The toxic herbicide was used to defoliate large areas during the Vietnam War. —  Cincinnati Business News - Local Cincinnati News | Business Courier of Cincinnati
  • European gypsy moths defoliate millions of acres of forest every year from North Carolina to Wisconsin to Maine. —  Officer.com: Top News Stories
  • The US military used Agent Orange, named after its orange-striped containers, to defoliate areas believed to be harbouring opposing forces. —  Medindia Health News
  • The students also viewed the Quilt of Tears, a tribute to individuals affected by the spraying of Agent Orange, a powerful herbicide used to defoliate leaves and vegetation, during the war.
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This word has been looked up 36 times.

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Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Late Latin dēfoliāre, dēfoliāt- : Latin dē-, de- + Latin folium, leaf; see bhel-3 in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. from Middle Latin defoliatus, past participle of defoliare, shed leaves, from Latin de- privative + folium, a leaf: see foliate.
  2. from Middle Latin defoliatus, past participle: see the verb.
 

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/dəˈfoʊlɪeɪt/
by American Heritage

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