leaves

Noun

leaf (countable and uncountable, plural leaves)

1. The usually green and flat organ that represents the most prominent feature of most vegetative plants.
   • Earless ghost swift moths become “invisible” to echolocating bats by forming mating clusters close (less than half a meter) above vegetation and effectively blending into the clutter of echoes that the bat receives from the leaves and stems around them.2013 May-June, William E. Conner, “An Acoustic Arms Race”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3, pages 206–7
2. A foliage leaf or any of the many and often considerably different structures it can specialise into.
3. Anything resembling the leaf of a plant.
4. A sheet of a book, magazine, etc. (consisting of two pages, one on each face of the leaf).
   • Heretofore advertisers have had to buy and pay for a leaf — two pages.1900, Profitable Advertising, volume 10, number 2, page 893
5. A sheet of any substance beaten or rolled until very thin.
   • gold leaf

   Synonyms:

   folio, folium

6. One of the individual flat or curved strips of metal, typically made of spring steel, that make up a leaf spring.
   • Lumbering down a precipitous "slideway," the Thornycroft broke two main leaves in the back spring[.]1931, Ion L. Idriess, Lasseter's Last Ride, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 52

See all 22 meanings of leaf

Noun (1)

leave (plural leaves)

1. The action of the batsman not attempting to play at the ball.
   • He made 45 leaves in his innings of 64.
2. The arrangement of balls in play that remains after a shot is made (which determines whether the next shooter — who may be either the same player, or an opponent — has good options, or only poor ones).
   • Having counted 38 points he tried a beautiful massé out of the corner, hit the first ball just a trifle too hard and kissed his own ball off just when victory seemed to be his. The leave was unfortunate for Ives. Slosson played brilliantly and ran the game out, a close winner, with 22 points.1890 February 27, “Slosson’s Close Shave”, in New York Times
3. The tiles remaining on a player's rack after his or her turn.
   • I didn't score much, but LING was a good leave.

Noun (2)

leave (countable and uncountable, plural leaves)

1. Permission to be absent; time away from one's work.
   • I've just been given three weeks' leave by my boss — I don't think I still have some leave owing to me.

   Synonyms:

   annual leave, holiday, break, day off, getaway, leave of absence, pause, recess, time away, time off

2. (dated) Permission.
   • Might I beg leave to accompany you?

   Synonyms:

   authorisation, consent, sanction, allowance, authority, authorization, clearance, license, mandate, permission

3. (dated) Farewell, departure.
   • I took my leave of the gentleman without a backward glance.

See all 22 meanings of leave