foliation

[ foh-lee-ey-shuhn ]

noun

1. the act or process of putting forth leaves.
2. the state of being in leaf.
3. Botany.
   1. the arrangement of leaves within a bud.
   2. the arrangement of leaves on a plant.
4. leaves or foliage.
5. Printing. the consecutive numbering of the folios or leaves, as distinguished from pages, of a manuscript or book.
6. the total number of such leaves.
7. Petrology. a form of lamination produced in rocks by metamorphism.
8. ornamentation with foliage, or an arrangement of foliage.
9. Architecture.
   1. ornamentation with foils.
   2. ornamentation with representations of foliage.
10. formation into thin sheets.
11. the application of foil to glass to make a mirror.

foliation

/ ˌfəʊlɪˈeɪʃən /

noun

1. botany
   1. the process of producing leaves
   2. the state of being in leaf
   3. the arrangement of leaves in a leaf bud; vernation
2. architect
   1. ornamentation consisting of foliage
   2. ornamentation consisting of cusps and foils
3. any decoration with foliage
4. the consecutive numbering of the leaves of a book
5. geology the arrangement of the constituents of a rock in leaflike layers, as in schists

foliation

/ fō′lē-ā′shən /

1. The set of layers visible in many metamorphic rocks as a result of the flattening and stretching of mineral grains during metamorphism.

Other Words From

• subfo·li·ation noun
• super·foli·ation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of foliation¹

First recorded in 1615–25; foliate + -ion

Example Sentences

The recesses on the sides of the other cusps indicate their single or double lines of foliation.

From Project Gutenberg

Between the asterisk in my text (supra) and the one following ford before the foliation mark f. 364, the ai.

From Project Gutenberg

On the oak-beamed ceiling, across the ivory rosettes, a single bar of red sunlight lay, broken by rafter and plaster foliation.

From Project Gutenberg

The design of the slab on the south, formerly the back, is also rude foliation.

From Project Gutenberg

Simple Gothic foliation is merely the triple, quadruple, or variously multiple repetition of such intersection.

From Project Gutenberg