sweet bay

noun

1. laurel.

2. an American magnolia, Magnolia virginiana, having large oblong leaves and fragrant, white flowers, common on the Atlantic coast.

sweet bay

noun

1. Sometimes shortened to: bay. a small tree, Magnolia virginiana, of SE North America, having large fragrant white flowers: family Magnoliaceae (magnolias)

Word History and Origins

Origin of sweet bay¹

First recorded in 1710–20

Example Sentences

A flatbed trailer was loaded with scores of potted native trees: Shumard oak, yellow poplar, persimmon, Eastern red cedar, sweet bay magnolia.

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There, picnic in Olympic Forest, surrounded by Egyptian date palms and Greek sweet bay trees.

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The sweet bay likes full or partial sun, and has been responding well to intuitive-style watering when its soil looks dry.

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In the meantime, it’s the “Garden of Questions,” an inviting labyrinth of herbs — made of passages lined with sweet bay, myrtle, lavender and marjoram — that walks visitors through an explanation of Jewish dietary laws.

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I froze amid the dripping white oaks and sweet bay magnolias.

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