any shrub or tree of the genus Magnolia, having large, usually fragrant flowers and an aromatic bark, much cultivated for ornament.
the blossom of any such shrub or tree, as of the evergreen magnolia tree: the state flower of Louisiana and Mississippi.
any tree or shrub of the magnoliaceous genus Magnolia of Asia and North America: cultivated for their white, pink, purple, or yellow showy flowers
the flower of any of these plants
a very pale pinkish-white or purplish-white colour
< New Latin (Linnaeus), after Pierre Magnol (1638–1715), French botanist; see -ia
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We had a massive magnolia tree in the front yard.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 20, 2026
Great British Chefs specified that tonka’s “most distinctive feature” is their “enormous potency — heady vanilla flavours, with oily clove aromas, and perfumed magnolia, sandalwood notes.”
From Salon • Sep. 19, 2025
It was the magnolia in the backyard she loved.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 24, 2025
One day, when looking at the large magnolia tree near his institute, “it just clicked”: He could use its leaves instead.
From Science Magazine • Nov. 24, 2024
I look through the pictures for a magnolia tree and find one, right in the middle of the book.
From "Finding Langston" by Lesa Cline-Ransome
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
