A leaflet in botany is a leaf-like part of a compound leaf. Though it resembles an entire leaf, a leaflet is not borne on a main plant stem or branch, as a leaf is, but rather on a petiole or a branch of the leaf.
Etymology
Leaflet includes the words leaf and let. Leaf originates from an Old English word that reflects a plant’s foliage. The suffix -“let”, comes from a Middle English and Old French word, meaning lesser or smaller of something. Leaflet therefore means a "petite version of a typical leaf structure”. == See also ==