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
Then I saw the magnolia tree that sits on the hill that is our front yard … with just sky behind it.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2025
To turn a magnolia leaf into circuit board material, Nair first stripped it down to its skeleton by chemically removing the leaf’s cells.
From Science Magazine ● Nov. 24, 2024
The scientists tested birch, cherry, and a kind of Japanese magnolia called honoki.
From NewsForKids.net ● Nov. 6, 2024
The air on the way to Madame Ruelles bakery smells of myrtle and magnolia and verbena; wisteria vines erupt in blossom; everywhere hang arcades and curtains and pendants of flowers.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Thanks to a WhatsApp group, neighbors from the 14-story Petunia building where Magnolia lived were able to connect with those looking for their relatives -- from the US, Spain, Dominican Republic, Panama and Ecuador.
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
The fire, dubbed the Max fire, broke out around 4:20 p.m. in the hiking area of Pico Canyon Park, near Magnolia Lane, according to the Fire Department.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
Starting with Scottie Scheffler's first Green Jacket victory in 2022, each Augusta champion has brought tournament winning form down Magnolia Lane.
From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2026
Something in the Magnolia state needs to change.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 2026
Harry shivered and looked up and down Magnolia Crescent.
From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling
My street has magnolias on it; when they bloom, it takes me back to the magnolias on the street in North Hollywood I lived on when I was a kid.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2025
You will fast be dreaming of a cool breeze under a canopy of mossy live oaks and waxing poetic about longleaf southern pines and fragrant magnolias.
From Salon ● Aug. 1, 2024
Then forsythia, daffodils, magnolias, robins, and cherry trees, on down the line.
From Slate ● Mar. 24, 2024
Gardeners there say it's not surprising for one or two magnolias to flower in February - but to have so many species in bloom is unusual.
From BBC ● Mar. 5, 2024
The sunrise turned the sky to red gold, and the warm steamy air smelled of magnolias and roses.
From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan
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.
