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
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
One day, when looking at the large magnolia tree near his institute, “it just clicked”: He could use its leaves instead.
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 leaves of the magnolia trees shift and shimmer in the breeze like a mirage, but I don’t see anyone—only the shadows of the coming night.
From "King and the Dragonflies" by Kacen Callender
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.
