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
Great British Chefs specified that tonka’s “most distinctive feature” is their “enormous potency — heady vanilla flavours, with oily clove aromas, and perfumed magnolia, sandalwood notes.”
From Salon • Sep. 19, 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
Audubon paints an active cuckoo pair within a community of other species, reaching to grasp a beetle on a magnolia bush in its native Louisiana.
From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman
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.
