The adjective "leafy" or "leafy" has several meanings, and in different dictionaries they are interpreted in almost the same way. One meaning has to do with gold, while the other can be interpreted figuratively.
What does "leafy" mean?
First, let's look at the meaning of the adjective "leaf".
In Efremova's dictionary, this means:
• Corresponding in meaning with the noun "susal", or, more simply, associated with it. The leaf can be gold, silver and tin. The metal is rolled into thin sheets, the tinsel is used for gilding.
• Peculiar to tinsel and typical for her.
• Either covered or decorated with tinsel, that is, distinguished by false beauty, some sweetness.
Ozhegov's dictionary says that "leaf" - this means referring to the manufacture of various metals, such as gold, silver, copper or tin, thin films, which are then covered with gilding or silvering.
Ushakov's dictionary says that this is an adjective associated with the manufacture of thin plates of a silvery or golden color from various metals and the subsequent gilding or silvering of any products by them. For this, they usually used gold, copper, tin or silver.
Gold leaf is not real gold, it is the thinnest plates of gold or other metals, more often it is a film of tin disulfide, which serves to cover the surfaces of other products. Ushakov writes that there is also silver leaf and gilding leaf, as well as gingerbread leaf, but this does not apply to metals.
Ushakov also has a figurative form of the adjective "leafy", which means that this person is sugary, sentimental, cloying. You can't trust such a person, he tries too hard to please, but then he can deceive.
Leaf sheets
It is noteworthy that the adjective "leaf" is more often used with the noun "sheets". They are usually forged, very thin, and are composed of various alloys of metals such as gold, copper or silver. Leaf foil is more of a metal foil that is used to decorate any kind of surface. They can be applied to walls, ceilings, carvings, furniture, frames. They are used to decorate various spaces.
Leaf sheets can be carat, that is, created from real precious metals, or imitation. If carat sheets have some value, then imitation sheets are not so expensive. But such an adjective is not found in the dictionaries of Ozhegov and Ushakov. Although it can be applied to other nouns as well. For example, leaf metals, leaf surfaces. Thus, this word is also in the Russian language, it has to do with metal or tinsel. The second value is not used.
