bay leaf
Americannoun
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the dried leaf of the bay laurel, Laurus nobilis, used in cooking.
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the leaf of the bayberry, Pimenta racemosa, used in making bay oil and bay rum.
noun
Etymology
Origin of bay leaf
First recorded in 1630–40
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Generous hunks of vanilla bean dot her lemon marmalade; bay leaf infuses her blackberry jam.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 10, 2025
It includes recipes for meyer lemon and bay leaf gelato, jasmine-scented almond milk mousse and fruit pudding made from white melon and orange blossom.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2024
There are so many latent flavors, nuances and aromas trapped in the bay leaf — let time and heat coax them out slowly.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2023
Add a big pinch of salt, several black peppercorns, the thyme sprigs and bay leaf.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 28, 2023
His father’s plate is polished clean, the chicken bones denuded of cartilage and chewed to a pinkish pulp, the bay leaf and cinnamon stick as good as new.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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.
