perfoliate

[ per-foh-lee-it, -eyt ]
/ pərˈfoʊ li ɪt, -ˌeɪt /

adjective Botany.

having the stem apparently passing through the leaf, owing to congenital union of the basal edges of the leaf round the stem.

Origin of perfoliate

1540–50; < New Latin perfoliātus (see per-, foliate), the feminine of which, perfoliāta, was formerly used as the name of a plant with a stalk that seemed to grow through (pierce) its leafage

OTHER WORDS FROM perfoliate

per·fo·li·a·tion, noun

Words nearby perfoliate

perfervid, perfidious, perfidy, perfin, perfing, perfoliate, perfoliate bellwort, perforate, perforated, perforated layer of sclera, perforated substance

Example sentences from the Web for perfoliate

  • The former is usually confined to the small intestine, but the perfoliate worm often occupies the ccum and colon in great numbers.

    Parasites |T. Spencer Cobbold

British Dictionary definitions for perfoliate

perfoliate
/ (pəˈfəʊlɪɪt, -ˌeɪt) /

adjective

(of a leaf) having a base that completely encloses the stem, so that the stem appears to pass through it

Derived forms of perfoliate

perfoliation, noun

Word Origin for perfoliate

C17: from New Latin perfoliātus, from Latin per- through + folium leaf