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defoliate

verb
/diːˈfəʊliː(j)eɪt/UK

Etymology

From de- + foliate.

  1. derived from *bʰleh₃-✻ — “blossom, flower”
  2. learned borrowing from foliātus — “having leaves, leafy, leaved”
  3. prefixed as defoliate — “de + foliate”

Definitions

  1. To remove foliage from (one or more plants), most often with a chemical agent.

    • Agent Orange was used to defoliate jungle vegetation.
    • These leaves are the moth’s only source of food, and if left unchecked, the caterpillars can completely defoliate a single mighty tree.

  2. Deprived of leaves

    Deprived of leaves; defoliated.

The neighborhood

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sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA