leaf

[bbeeton]

A leaf may be a flattened outgrowth of a plant or tree, the part that is responsible for photosynthesis. This is the season for leaves to depart deciduous trees, leaving detritus that (1) must be raked, (2) can be shredded for mulch, or (3) is an attractant for small children to go swishing through (nearly as much fun as puddles).

Or a leaf may be a page of, or removed from, a book. (Overleaf indicates that the page should be turned over to see what's on the other side.)

There's also gold leaf, a sheet of the metal pounded very thin and used for decoration.

And a table leaf, that can be either removable or folded away to make the table smaller.

And then there's the leaf spring, used in vehicles of various kinds to smooth out the ride when traversing uneven surfaces.

Leave, the verb, shares the form "leaves". I haven't the foggiest notion whether this verb is etymologically related to the noun. But it gives us another noun, usually found in the plural -- leavings. A different kind of detritus.

[Slava]

The leaves left, leaving leavings of leaves on the lawn.

Now that I've left my leaving, I'll leave.