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View synonyms for laurel

laurel

1

[ lawr-uhl, lor- ]

noun

  1. Also called bay, sweet bay. a small European evergreen tree, Laurus nobilis, of the laurel family, having dark, glossy green leaves. Compare laurel family.
  2. any tree of the genus Laurus.
  3. any of various similar trees or shrubs, as the mountain laurel or the great rhododendron.
  4. the foliage of the laurel as an emblem of victory or distinction.
  5. a branch or wreath of laurel foliage.
  6. Usually laurels. honor won, as for achievement in a field or activity.

    Synonyms: praise, renown, fame, glory



verb (used with object)

, lau·reled, lau·rel·ing or (especially British) lau·relled, lau·rel·ling.
  1. to adorn or wreathe with laurel.
  2. to honor with marks of distinction.

Laurel

2

[ lawr-uhl, lor- ]

noun

  1. Stan Arthur Stanley Jefferson, 1890–1965, U.S. motion-picture actor and comedian, born in England.
  2. a city in SE Mississippi.
  3. a town in central Maryland.
  4. a female given name.

laurel

/ ˈlɒrəl /

noun

  1. Also calledbaytrue laurel any lauraceous tree of the genus Laurus , such as the bay tree (see bay4 ) and L. canariensis , of the Canary Islands and Azores
  2. any lauraceous plant
  3. spurge laurel
    a European thymelaeaceous evergreen shrub, Daphne laureola, with glossy leaves and small green flowers
  4. spotted laurel or Japan laurel
    an evergreen cornaceous shrub, Aucuba japonica, of S and SE Asia, the female of which has yellow-spotted leaves
  5. plural a wreath of true laurel, worn on the head as an emblem of victory or honour in classical times
  6. plural honour, distinction, or fame
  7. look to one's laurels
    to be on guard against one's rivals
  8. rest on one's laurels
    to be satisfied with distinction won by past achievements and cease to strive for further achievements
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


verb

  1. tr to crown with laurels
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Words From

  • un·laureled adjective
  • un·laurelled adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of laurel1

1250–1300; dissimilated variant of Middle English laurer, earlier lorer < Anglo-French; Old French lorier bay tree, equivalent to lor bay, laurel (< Latin laurus ) + -ier -ier 2; -er 2
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Word History and Origins

Origin of laurel1

C13 lorer, from Old French lorier laurel tree, ultimately from Latin laurus
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. look to one's laurels, to be alert to the possibility of being excelled or surpassed:

    New developments in the industry are forcing long-established firms to look to their laurels.

  2. rest on one's laurels, to be content with one's past or present honors, achievements, etc.:

    He retired at the peak of his career and is resting on his laurels.

More idioms and phrases containing laurel

see look to one's laurels ; rest on one's laurels .
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Example Sentences

From CEOs to journalists to politicians, this year’s class of Fortune’s 40 Under 40 is an incredible group of innovators who refuse to rest on their laurels.

From Fortune

This is a time in history where companies cannot rest on their laurels or make empty promises when it comes to embracing and cultivating a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace.

From Digiday

He’s a mechanical engineer at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md.

For the early stage DTC startups who are seeing higher-than-expected sales growth, they are not resting on their laurels either.

From Digiday

The Twins didn’t rest on their offseason laurels, adding the likes of Josh Donaldson, Kenta Maeda and Homer Bailey without losing too much of note.

So when my wife and I moved to Laurel Canyon I spent my first year working night and day on the show.

Did McCarthy invent the portrayal of violence in fiction, or should that laurel go to Homer?

If Pat Roberts lived in Dodge City, why did he travel 1,400 miles out of his way to purchase his car in Laurel, Maryland?

But no laurel wreaths waited for Marina on the day of her victory.

One artist, Edgardo Aragón from Oaxaca, tries to capture that in an exhibition at the Laurel Gitlen Gallery.

He went out into the garden, and the rustling of the laurel-bushes frightened him.

Burn the male olive-branch and the pine twig and juniper, and let the blazing laurel crackle amid the hearth.

The composer was recalled fifteen times and presented with a laurel wreath.

Nothing was to be thought of but a frame for this—olive, bay, laurel, everything appropriate to the conqueror.

They could hear bird calling bird far within, among the myrtles and laurel hedges.

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More About Laurel

What does laurel mean?

A laurel is a type of tree with dark, glossy green leaves. In Ancient Greece and Rome, laurel leaves were used to make wreaths that were worn on a person’s head to symbolize victory—like that leaf crown that Caesar is always wearing in statues. Today, we use the word laurels to mean honors.

When used this way, it is almost always plural.

Example: After a 50-year career, I have many laurels, but I’m most proud of my beautiful family.

Where does laurel come from?

Laurel has been used in English for the name of a tree since at least the 1300s. The word ultimately derives from laurus, which was the name of the tree in Latin.

In terms of trees, laurel most commonly refers to the species Laurus nobilis, also called true laurel, bay laurel, or sweet bay laurel. Notably, the leaves of the bay laurel, called bay leaves, are used in cooking to flavor dishes. But there are many other trees that can be called laurels. The laurel family includes the avocado tree and the tree whose bark gives us cinnamon.

However, it was the leaves of the true laurel that were used in ancient times to make wreaths worn as a sign of triumph. The practice started with Greek mythology. Long story short: the nymph Daphne got turned into a laurel tree, so the god Apollo turned it into an evergreen and made a wreath out of its leaves to honor her. The laurel wreath became associated with poets and eventually became a symbol of victory—ancient Olympians were honored with leaf crowns. It is still used as a symbol on flags and crests (much like how the olive branch is used as a symbol of peace). Today, we use laurels to mean “honors,” especially for an achievement in a particular field or activity, as in There are few laurels that she has not achieved in the literary world. Less commonly, laurel can be used as a verb meaning “to crown with laurels” or “to honor.”

Someone who has been honored in a certain way is sometimes called a laureate, as in poet laureate and Nobel laureate. Laurel is often used in the phrase rest on one’s laurels, meaning “to rely on one’s past accomplishments and honors without continuing to try to perform at a high level.” Another idiom, look to one’s laurels, means “to be on guard against one’s rivals.”

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to laurel?

 

  • unlaureled (adjective)

 

What are some synonyms for laurel?

What are some words that share a root or word element with laurel

What are some words that often get used in discussing laurel?

 

How is laurel used in real life?

Laurels are honors, and they are often discussed in the context of the awards someone has won over a distinguished career. There are many different trees that can be called laurel, but the word most often refers to the bay laurel.

 

 

Try using laurel!

True or False? 

Laurel wreaths are no longer used as a symbol of victory.

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.

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LaureenLaurel and Hardy