defoliation
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
defoliate /diːˈfəʊlɪeɪt/
▶verb remove leaves or foliage from (a plant or area).
– derivatives
defoliation noun,
defoliator noun.
defoliation noun,
defoliator noun.
– origin C18: from late L. defoliat-, defoliare ‘to strip of leaves’, from de- + folium ‘leaf’.
'defoliation' also found in these Oxford entries:
