Where does “defoliation” come from?
Defoliation comes from English defoliate, derived from Latin de- (prefix meaning "away") and foliate (from Latin folium, "leaf"), ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European de-.
defoliation (English): The separation of ripened leaves from a branch or...
Definitions
- The separation of ripened leaves from a branch or...
Ancestry of “defoliation”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | defoliate | To remove foliage from (one or more plants), most often with a chemical agent |
| 2 | English | foliate | of or relating to leaves; shaped like a leaf;... |
| 3 | English | -ate | having the specified thing; characterized by the... |
| 4 | English | -cy | Used to form nouns of state, condition or quality... |
| 5 | Anglo-Norman | -cie | — |
| 6 | Latin | -tia | office, rank |
| 7 | Latin | -ia | Used to form a feminine abstract noun, usually... |
| 8 | Latin | -ius | forming adjectives from nouns; nominative neuter... |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | -jōs | Forms comparative adjectives |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -yós | Creates adjectives from noun or verb stems |