compound leaf

noun

a leaf composed of a number of leaflets on a common stalk, arranged either palmately, as the fingers of a hand, or pinnately, as the leaflets of a fern; the leaflets themselves may be compound.

Origin of compound leaf

First recorded in 1875–80

Words nearby compound leaf

compound heterozygote, compound hyperopic astigmatism, compound interest, compound interval, compound joint, compound leaf, compound lens, compound magnet, compound microscope, compound myopic astigmatism, compound number

British Dictionary definitions for compound leaf

compound leaf

noun

a leaf consisting of two or more leaflets borne on the same leafstalk

Scientific definitions for compound leaf

compound leaf

A leaf that is composed of two or more leaflets on a common stalk. Clover, roses, sumac, and walnut trees have compound leaves.