magnolia
1 Americannoun
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any shrub or tree of the genus Magnolia, having large, usually fragrant flowers and an aromatic bark, much cultivated for ornament.
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the blossom of any such shrub or tree, as of the evergreen magnolia tree: the state flower of Louisiana and Mississippi.
noun
noun
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any tree or shrub of the magnoliaceous genus Magnolia of Asia and North America: cultivated for their white, pink, purple, or yellow showy flowers
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the flower of any of these plants
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a very pale pinkish-white or purplish-white colour
Etymology
Origin of magnolia
< New Latin (Linnaeus), after Pierre Magnol (1638–1715), French botanist; -ia
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.
We had a massive magnolia tree in the front yard.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 20, 2026
The DS & Durga site’s page for Pacific Mythic lists SoCal-vibey notes like avocado leaf, palm, orchid, magnolia and more.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 14, 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
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.
