leaf

leaf1 [ lif ] (plural leaves [ livz ] ) noun ***

1. ) count a flat thin green part of a tree or plant that grows on a branch or stem:

A light breeze stirred the leaves of the tall oak tree outside her window.

falling/autumn leaves

come into leaf (=start to produce leaves in spring): The maple trees were just coming into leaf.

be in leaf (=have produced leaves in spring): The trees were already in leaf.

2. ) count a sheet of paper, especially in a book:

leaf of: a leaf of paper

one of the leaves of a book

3. ) count a part of a table that you can swing up into position or add to the table to make it bigger

4. ) uncount metal, especially gold or silver, in very thin sheets, used as a decoration

=> GOLD LEAF

take a leaf out of/from someone's book

to copy what someone else does because they are successful at doing it:

They should take a leaf out of industry's book and pay both management and staff on results.

turn over a new leaf

to change your life by starting to be a better person or stopping a bad habit

=> SHAKE1

leaf

leaf 2 [ lif ] verb

,leaf `through phrasal verb transitive

leaf through something to turn the pages of a book or a pile of papers quickly and without looking at them carefully:

She sat leafing through a newspaper, watching the door.