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

Planted out front and in view of the kitchen windows, this petite magnolia features pretty white blooms and a subtle citrus scent. —Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 6 Aug. 2025

Take one of his gelatos, featuring olive oil, oolong tea and magnolia leaf. —Maggie Hiufu Wong, CNN Money, 5 Aug. 2025

Indeed, what had looked like a fortune—the bay window, the fancy bannisters, the evergreen magnolia in the garden, which his mother had grown from a clipping taken in Lissadell—all of it had gone for the price of a fast car. —Anne Enright, New Yorker, 27 July 2025

Several, for instance, were guarded by enormous magnolia trees, far from their core native range in the Deep South. —Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 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