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Showing results for California laurel. Search instead for california sycamore.

California laurel

American  

noun

  1. Also called bay tree.  a tree, Umbellularia californica, of the laurel family, native to the western coast of the U.S., having aromatic leaves and umbels of yellowish-green flowers.

  2. the hard, golden-brown wood of this tree, used for making furniture and decorative objects.


Etymology

Origin of California laurel

An Americanism dating back to 1870–75

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.

See Examples For:

Eagle Rock Brewery has made a new helles-style lager flavored with three California native plants: woolly bluecurls, California laurel and black sage.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 12, 2021

One of the most striking exhibits of the Muir Woods is its tangle of California laurel.

From The Book of the National Parks by Yard, Robert Sterling

It was made of California laurel, handsomely polished, and on it was a silver plate with an inscription and the names of the officers of the two roads.

From History of California by Bandini, Helen Elliott

The California laurel is shaking out a delicious, penetrating odor from its countless blossoms.

From The Wild Flowers of California: Their Names, Haunts, and Habits by Parsons, Mary Elizabeth

Tests of California laurel wood by compression, indentation, shearing, transverse tension, pp. 223-236.

From The Mechanical Properties of Wood Including a Discussion of the Factors Affecting the Mechanical Properties, and Methods of Timber Testing by Record, Samuel J.

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