meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

foliage

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Merriam-Webster

Arts, Literature, Language Courses, Education

4.31.2K Ratings

🗓️ 14 October 2023

⏱️ 2 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 14, 2023 is:

foliage • \FOH-lee-ij\  • noun

Foliage refers to the leaves of a plant or of many plants.

// The winding river cut its course beneath the thick green foliage of the jungle canopy.

See the entry >

Examples:

"Summer hiking is undeniably breathtaking, but there’s something about the foliage of the fall that secures its spot as the best time of year to get outside and enjoy the beauty of nature." — Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 25 Aug. 2023

Did you know?

Whether you’re a casual leaf peeper or a card-carrying botanist, a staunch New Englander or Caribbean beach bum, there’s plenty to love about foliage—though the pronunciation of foliage has long been a point of contention among English speakers. Most commonly accepted is the trisyllabic \FOH-lee-ij\. However, there’s no denying that the pronunciations \FOH-lij\ and even \FOY-lij\ have also staked their claim. The first of these disputed pronunciations is consistent with the pronunciation of the -iage ending in marriage and carriage. The second is often more fiercely denounced, in part because of its association with the nonstandard spelling foilage. But there’s redemption for this estranged pronunciation: foliage traces back to Middle French foille ("leaf"), which is also the source of the English word foil (as in "aluminum foil"). When adopted by Middle English speakers, foil originally meant "leaf." Love it or leaf it, there’s just no taking the "foil" out of foliage.



Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

It's Merriam Webster's Word of the Day for October 14th.

0:11.3

Today's word is foliage, spelled F-O-L-I-A-G-E.

0:16.4

Foliage is a noun.

0:17.8

It refers to the leaves of a plant or of many plants.

0:21.4

Here's the word used, an ascentence from travel and leisure.

0:26.2

Summer hiking is undeniably breathtaking, but there's something about the foliage of

0:30.7

the fall that secures its spot as the best time of the year to get outside and enjoy the

0:36.7

beauty of nature.

0:39.1

Whether you're a casual leaf-peaper or a card-carry and botanist, a staunch new Englander

0:44.4

or a Caribbean beach bum, there's plenty to love about foliage, though the pronunciation

0:50.4

of foliage has long been a point of contention among English speakers.

0:55.2

Most commonly accepted is the trisolabic foliage, however there's no denying that the

1:01.3

pronunciation's foliage and foliage have also staked their claim.

1:07.7

The first of these disputed pronunciations is consistent with the pronunciation of the

1:12.3

I-A-G-E ending in marriage and carriage.

1:17.0

The second is often more fiercely denounced, in part because of its association with the

1:23.4

non-standard spelling F-O-I-L-A-G-E.

1:28.8

But there's redemption for this estranged pronunciation, foliage traces back to the

1:34.0

middle French word foyer, meaning leaf, which is also the source of the English word foil

1:40.7

as an aluminum foil.

1:42.6

When adopted by middle English speakers, foil originally meant leaf.

1:48.1

Love it or leaf it.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Merriam-Webster, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Merriam-Webster and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.