magnolia

noun

mag·​no·​lia mag-ˈnōl-yə 

: any of a genus (Magnolia of the family Magnoliaceae, the magnolia family) of American and Asian shrubs and trees with entire evergreen or deciduous leaves and usually showy white, yellow, rose, or purple flowers usually appearing in early spring

Illustration of magnolia

Examples of magnolia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The six-mile Torreya Challenge Loop, covered in Florida anise, sweetgum, magnolia, hickory, and spruce pines, steadily climbs and dips. —Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 19 Jan. 2025

Trees available for purchase include ones harvested from George Washington’s sweet gum at Mount Vernon, southern magnolias from the farm of President Jimmy Carter, and even a selection of tree sprouts that traveled on the 1984 Space Shuttle Discovery Flight. —Jessica Farthing, Southern Living, 2 Jan. 2025

Other magnolia shrubs include the sweetbay magnolia and the little gem magnolia. —Nina Malkin, Architectural Digest, 23 Sep. 2024

The ranch house, located in their hometown of Plains, in Sumter County, features a pond Jimmy helped dig and a magnolia tree transplanted from a sprout from a tree that Andrew Jackson planted on the lawn of the White House nearly 200 years ago. —Virginia Chamlee, People.com, 29 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Pierre Magnol †1715 French botanist

First Known Use

1739, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

magnolia

noun

mag·​no·​lia mag-ˈnōl-yə 

: any of a genus of North American and Asian trees or tall shrubs having usually showy white, yellow, rose, or purple flowers that appear before or sometimes with the leaves in the spring

Medical Definition

magnolia

noun

mag·​no·​lia mag-ˈnōl-yə 

1

capitalized : a genus (family Magnoliaceae, the magnolia family) of North American and Asian shrubs and trees including some whose bark has been used especially as a bitter tonic and diaphoretic in folk medicine

2

a

: any shrub or tree of the genus Magnolia

b

: the dried bark of a magnolia