sweet bay

noun

1. laurel ( def 1 ).
2. an American magnolia, Magnolia virginiana, having large oblong leaves and fragrant, white flowers, common on the Atlantic coast.

sweet bay

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of sweet bay¹

First recorded in 1710–20

Example Sentences

The oil produced is the oil of bay laurel, oil of sweet bay.

From Project Gutenberg

Tie a small quantity of thyme, sweet bay leaves and parsley in a bit of cloth.

From Project Gutenberg

Impetuously the canoe swung to pass around a spit of land covered with a thicket of sweet bay.

From Project Gutenberg

But more lovely than any of the shrubs along the river was that small tree known as the sweet bay or the swamp laurel.

From Project Gutenberg

It's made from the leaves of the sweet bay tree, which grows on all these islands and all over this country.

From Project Gutenberg