fig leaf

fig leaf

See also: figleaf and fig-leaf

English

Alternative forms

• fig-leaf

Noun

fig leaf (plural fig leaves)

1. A leaf of the fig plant.
2. A representation of leaf of a fig plant used to cover the genitals of a nude figure in a work of art (alluding to Genesis iii 7, in which Adam and Eve use fig leaves to hide their nakedness).
3. (figuratively) Anything used to conceal something undesirable or that one does not want to be discovered.

Derived terms

• figleaf
• fig-leaved
• fig-leafed

Translations

leaf of the fig plant

Armenian: թուզի տերև (tʿuzi terew) Basque: pikuondo-hosto, grape leaf: mahatsondo-hosto Catalan: fulla de figuera f Dutch: vijgenblad (nl) n Finnish: viikunanlehti French: feuille de figuier f German: Feigenblatt (de) n

Greek: συκή f (sykí) Irish: duilleog fige f Italian: foglia di fico f Russian: фи́говый листо́к m (fígovyj listók) Spanish: hoja de higo f Swedish: fikonlöv n Welsh: deilen ffigys f

leaf covering genitals in a work of art

Finnish: viikunanlehti French: feuille de figuier f, feuille de vigne (fr) f German: Feigenblatt (de) n Greek: συκή f (sykí)

Italian: foglia di fico f Russian: фи́говый листо́к m (fígovyj listók) Spanish: hoja de higo f Swedish: fikonlöv n

anything intended to conceal something undesirable

Chinese: Mandarin: 遮羞布 (zh) (zhēxiūbù) Finnish: viikunanlehti German: Feigenblatt (de) n

Greek: συκή f (sykí) Irish: seift f Italian: foglia di fico f Russian: фи́говый листо́к m (fígovyj listók)