Foliolus

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A tiny leaf that functions as a part of a composite leaf formation
2. A miniature leaf segment that forms part of a larger divided leaf structure
3. One of the small, distinct leaflets composing a compound leaf in plants

Etymology: In Latin, "folium" meant "leaf," and adding the diminutive ending "-olus" produced "foliolus," meaning "little leaf." Botanists adopted the form as a technical term for one of the separate blades that make up a compound leaf, the way a single leaflet on a fern or rose stem is a small leaf in its own right, not a branch. English usually uses "foliole," which passed into the language from French "foliole," itself from the Latin diminutive "foliolum." The word follows the same pattern as many scientific terms, borrowing a classical root and a diminutive suffix to name a part that is smaller than the whole it belongs to.

Synonyms: leaflet, leaf fragment, leaflet blade, small leaf, leaf division