defoliate

This term is primarily used in technical, botanical, or military contexts. It carries a clinical or destructive connotation when used transitively, often evoking images of chemical warfare or aggressive agricultural management. When used intransitively, it describes a biological process, though it remains more formal than the common term "shedding leaves."

Because the word describes a specific physiological change in plants, it is rarely used metaphorically in standard English. It is distinct from "pruning," which is a deliberate, selective removal of plant parts for growth, whereas defoliation implies a widespread or total loss of foliage.