defoliate
English edit
Etymology edit
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
defoliate (third-person singular simple present defoliates, present participle defoliating, simple past and past participle defoliated)
- (transitive) To remove foliage from (one or more plants), most often with a chemical agent.
- Agent Orange was used to defoliate jungle vegetation.
- 2020, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments, Minneapolis: Milkweed Editions, →ISBN, page 2:
- These leaves are the moth’s only source of food, and if left unchecked, the caterpillars can completely defoliate a single mighty tree.
Derived terms edit
Translations edit
to remove foliage from plants
Adjective edit
defoliate (comparative more defoliate, superlative most defoliate)
- Deprived of leaves; defoliated.
Anagrams edit
Interlingua edit
Adjective edit
defoliate (not comparable)
Italian edit
Etymology 1 edit
Verb edit
defoliate
- inflection of defoliare:
Etymology 2 edit
Participle edit
defoliate f pl
Spanish edit
Verb edit
defoliate
- second-person singular voseo imperative of defoliar combined with te