-folious

1. a combining form meaning “having leaves (of a specified number or type)”:

   unifolious.

Word History and Origins

Origin of -folious¹

Combining form representing Latin foliōsus foliose

Words That Use -folious

What does -folious mean?

The combining form –folious is used like a suffix meaning “having leaves.” It is very occasionally used in scientific terms, especially in botany.

The form –folious comes from Latin foliōsus, meaning “leafy.” Find out how –folious is related to foil, a thin sheet of metal or paper, and folio, a volume with large pages, at our entry for each word.

Examples of -folious

A scientific term that features –folious is centifolious, “having a hundred leaves.”

The centi– part of the word means “hundred,” from Latin centum. As we have seen, –folious means “having leaves.” Centifolious literally translates to “having a hundred leaves.”

What are some words that use the combining form –folious?

• diversifolious
• graminifolious
• laterifolious
• planifolious
• septifolious
• unifolious

What are some other forms that –folious may be commonly confused with?

• -ferous
• -florous
• -ful

Break it down!

The combining form septi– means “seven.” With this in mind, what does septifolious mean?