mountain laurel

noun

: a North American evergreen shrub or small tree (Kalmia latifolia) of the heath family with glossy leaves and umbels of rose-colored or white flowers

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web The mountain laurel is Connecticut's state flower. —

Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 5 Feb. 2023 Test Garden Tip: As beautiful as mountain laurel is, all parts of the plant are poisonous, so keep children and pets away from the plant. —

Andrea Beck, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Feb. 2023 Some of the most common and favored include ash, aspen, bitterbrush, blackgum, dewberry, dogwood, greenbrier, hickory, honeysuckle, maple, mountain laurel, oak, popular, sagebrush, sumac, willow, and more. —

Scott Bestul, Field & Stream, 31 Jan. 2023 The mountain laurel is Pennsylvania's state flower. —

Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 5 Feb. 2023 In late spring and early summer, mountain laurel is covered in showy clusters of pink, red, or white flowers. —

Andrea Beck, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Aug. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mountain laurel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1739, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of mountain laurel was in 1739

See more words from the same year

Dictionary Entries Near mountain laurel

mountain juniper

mountain laurel

mountain leather

See More Nearby Entries

Cite this Entry

Style

“Mountain laurel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mountain%20laurel. Accessed 6 Jun. 2023.

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