magnolia means of a creamy white colour, like that of some magnolia flowers.
magnolia is pronounced /ˌmæɡˈnəʊ.li.ə/.
Why “magnolia” is a great word
A broad-leaved tree or shrub of the genus Magnolia, prized for its opulent, aromatic blossoms. From translingual Magnolia, named after French botanist Pierre Magnol (1638–1715); the surname derives from the male given name Magne, from Latin magnus ('great'), from Proto-Italic *magnos, from Proto-Indo-European *m̥ǵh₂nós, from *méǵh₂s ('great'). The genus was first named in 1703 by Charles Plumier. Unlike camellia, with its glossy-leaved precision and tea-kin lineage, or dogwood, whose modest, bract-clustered flowers punctuate temperate woods, the magnolia is an ancient, lavish simplicity. It is the waxy, cup-like petal the size of a saucer, the faint citrus-and-vanilla scent that hangs in humid air, and the improbable, defiant bloom on bare, grey branches in early spring—a relic of a prehistoric world, patiently offering its obsolete grandeur to an indifferent modernity.
Etymology
Borrowed from translingual Magnolia, from French Magnol + -ia. Named after French botanist Pierre Magnol (1638–1715). The surname is a form of the male given name Magne, from Latin magnus, which in turn from Proto-Italic *magnos, from Proto-Indo-European *m̥ǵh₂nós, from *méǵh₂s (“great”). .
adj
- Of a creamy white colour, like that of some magnolia flowers.
name
- A female given name from English, one of the less common flower names invented in the 19th century.
- Several places in the United States.; A city, the county seat of Columbia County, Arkansas, United States.
- Several places in the United States.; A town in Delaware, United States.
- Several places in the United States.; A village in Illinois, United States.
- Several places in the United States.; A city in Iowa, United States.
- Several places in the United States.; A coastal village in the city of Gloucester, Essex County, Massachusetts.
- Several places in the United States.; A town in Minnesota, United States.
- Several places in the United States.; A city, the county seat of Pike County, Mississippi, United States.
- Several places in the United States.; A borough of Camden County, New Jersey, United States.
- Several places in the United States.; A town in North Carolina, United States.
- Several places in the United States.; A village in Ohio, United States.
- Several places in the United States.; A city in Texas, United States.
- Several places in the United States.; An unincorporated community in West Virginia, United States.
- Several places in the United States.; A town in Wisconsin, United States.
noun
- A tree or shrub in any species of the genus Magnolia, many with large flowers and simple leaves.e.g.“There are clusters of magnolias that are so tall and green and glossy, they are impossible to climb, and the air around them always smells like peaches.” — 2011, Jesmyn Ward, Salvage the Bones, Bloomsbury (2017), page 158:
- The flower of a magnolia tree.
- A native or resident of the American state of Mississippi.
- A creamy white colour, like that of some magnolia flowers.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- magnolious 71% match — Magnificent, splendid, large. vs magnolia →
- magnolioid 67% match — A member of the botanical family Magnoliaceae for which the genus Magnolia is representative vs magnolia →
- yulan 65% match — Magnolia denudata, a species of magnolia with large white blossoms that open before the leaves. vs magnolia →
- magnolid 64% match — Resembling a magnolia or a taxonomic grouping for which Magnolia is the type. vs magnolia →
- michelia 64% match — Any plant of the genus Michelia. vs magnolia →
- gardenia 60% match — Any of various tropical evergreen small trees or shrubs, of the genus Gardenia, having glossy leaves and white flowers. vs magnolia →
- skimmia 60% match — Any of the genus Skimmia of evergreen shrubs and trees. vs magnolia →
- champaca 59% match — champac; Magnolia champaca; a large evergreen tree in the Magnoliaceae family. vs magnolia →