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

It’s also formulated with worthwhile ingredients like sunflower seed oil, magnolia bark extract, and peptides that work for your skin rather than just sitting on top of it. —Alyssa Grabinski, People.com, 7 Mar. 2025

The combination of magnolia leaf, Roman chamomile and cedar heart is woodsy and wonderful. —Celia Shatzman, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025

Depending on your hardiness zone, shrubs and trees like forsythia, azaleas, camellias, redbuds, cherries, plums, dogwoods, and star magnolias are also putting on a show in gardens. —Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 26 Feb. 2025

With a composition of magnolia, sandalwood, and violet at its heart, alongside ambrette, cedarwood, and amber, this is a genderless, truly layerable aroma. —Kiana Murden, Vogue, 4 Mar. 2025

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