Search Result for "sweet bay":
Wordnet 3.0

NOUN (1)

1. shrub or small tree having rather small fragrant white flowers; abundant in southeastern United States;
[syn: sweet bay, swamp bay, swamp laurel, Magnolia virginiana]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Laurel \Lau"rel\, n. [OE. lorel, laurer, lorer, OF. lorier, laurier, F. laurier, (assumed) LL. Laurarius, fr. L. laurus.] 1. (Bot.) An evergreen shrub, of the genus Laurus (Laurus nobilis), having aromatic leaves of a lanceolate shape, with clusters of small, yellowish white flowers in their axils; -- called also sweet bay. Note: The fruit is a purple berry. It is found about the Mediterranean, and was early used by the ancient Greeks to crown the victor in the games of Apollo. At a later period, academic honors were indicated by a crown of laurel, with the fruit. The leaves and tree yield an aromatic oil, used to flavor the bay water of commerce. [1913 Webster] Note: The name is extended to other plants which in some respect resemble the true laurel. See Phrases, below. [1913 Webster] 2. A crown of laurel; hence, honor; distinction; fame; -- especially in the plural; as, to win laurels. [1913 Webster] 3. An English gold coin made in 1619, and so called because the king's head on it was crowned with laurel. [1913 Webster] Laurel water, water distilled from the fresh leaves of the cherry laurel, and containing prussic acid and other products carried over in the process. [1913 Webster] American laurel, or Mountain laurel, Kalmia latifolia; called also calico bush. See under Mountain. California laurel, Umbellularia Californica. Cherry laurel (in England called laurel). See under Cherry. Great laurel, the rosebay (Rhododendron maximum). Ground laurel, trailing arbutus. New Zealand laurel, the Laurelia Nov[ae] Zelandi[ae]. Portugal laurel, the Prunus Lusitanica. Rose laurel, the oleander. See Oleander. Sheep laurel, a poisonous shrub, Kalmia angustifolia, smaller than the mountain laurel, and with smaller and redder flowers. Spurge laurel, Daphne Laureola. West Indian laurel, Prunus occidentalis. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Swamp \Swamp\, n. [Cf. AS. swam a fungus, OD. swam a sponge, D. zwam a fungus, G. schwamm a sponge, Icel. sv["o]ppr, Dan. & Sw. swamp, Goth. swamms, Gr. somfo`s porous, spongy.] Wet, spongy land; soft, low ground saturated with water, but not usually covered with it; marshy ground away from the seashore. [1913 Webster] Gray swamps and pools, waste places of the hern. --Tennyson. [1913 Webster] A swamp differs from a bog and a marsh in producing trees and shrubs, while the latter produce only herbage, plants, and mosses. --Farming Encyc. (E. Edwards, Words). [1913 Webster] Swamp blackbird. (Zool.) See Redwing (b) . Swamp cabbage (Bot.), skunk cabbage. Swamp deer (Zool.), an Asiatic deer (Rucervus Duvaucelli) of India. Swamp hen. (Zool.) (a) An Australian azure-breasted bird (Porphyrio bellus); -- called also goollema. (b) An Australian water crake, or rail (Porzana Tabuensis); -- called also little swamp hen. (c) The European purple gallinule. Swamp honeysuckle (Bot.), an American shrub (Azalea viscosa syn. Rhododendron viscosa or Rhododendron viscosum) growing in swampy places, with fragrant flowers of a white color, or white tinged with rose; -- called also swamp pink and white swamp honeysuckle. Swamp hook, a hook and chain used by lumbermen in handling logs. Cf. Cant hook. Swamp itch. (Med.) See Prairie itch, under Prairie. Swamp laurel (Bot.), a shrub (Kalmia glauca) having small leaves with the lower surface glaucous. Swamp maple (Bot.), red maple. See Maple. Swamp oak (Bot.), a name given to several kinds of oak which grow in swampy places, as swamp Spanish oak (Quercus palustris), swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor), swamp post oak (Quercus lyrata). Swamp ore (Min.), bog ore; limonite. Swamp partridge (Zool.), any one of several Australian game birds of the genera Synoicus and Excalfatoria, allied to the European partridges. Swamp robin (Zool.), the chewink. Swamp sassafras (Bot.), a small North American tree of the genus Magnolia (Magnolia glauca) with aromatic leaves and fragrant creamy-white blossoms; -- called also sweet bay. Swamp sparrow (Zool.), a common North American sparrow (Melospiza Georgiana, or Melospiza palustris), closely resembling the song sparrow. It lives in low, swampy places. Swamp willow. (Bot.) See Pussy willow, under Pussy. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Sweet \Sweet\, a. [Compar. Sweeter; superl. Sweetest.] [OE. swete, swote, sote, AS. sw[=e]te; akin to OFries. sw[=e]te, OS. sw[=o]ti, D. zoet, G. s["u]ss, OHG. suozi, Icel. saetr, soetr, Sw. s["o]t, Dan. s["o]d, Goth. suts, L. suavis, for suadvis, Gr. ?, Skr. sv[=a]du sweet, svad, sv[=a]d, to sweeten. [root]175. Cf. Assuage, Suave, Suasion.] 1. Having an agreeable taste or flavor such as that of sugar; saccharine; -- opposed to sour and bitter; as, a sweet beverage; sweet fruits; sweet oranges. [1913 Webster] 2. Pleasing to the smell; fragrant; redolent; balmy; as, a sweet rose; sweet odor; sweet incense. [1913 Webster] The breath of these flowers is sweet to me. --Longfellow. [1913 Webster] 3. Pleasing to the ear; soft; melodious; harmonious; as, the sweet notes of a flute or an organ; sweet music; a sweet voice; a sweet singer. [1913 Webster] To make his English sweet upon his tongue. --Chaucer. [1913 Webster] A voice sweet, tremulous, but powerful. --Hawthorne. [1913 Webster] 4. Pleasing to the eye; beautiful; mild and attractive; fair; as, a sweet face; a sweet color or complexion. [1913 Webster] Sweet interchange Of hill and valley, rivers, woods, and plains. --Milton. [1913 Webster] 5. Fresh; not salt or brackish; as, sweet water. --Bacon. [1913 Webster] 6. Not changed from a sound or wholesome state. Specifically: (a) Not sour; as, sweet milk or bread. (b) Not state; not putrescent or putrid; not rancid; as, sweet butter; sweet meat or fish. [1913 Webster] 7. Plaesing to the mind; mild; gentle; calm; amiable; winning; presuasive; as, sweet manners. [1913 Webster] Canst thou bind the sweet influence of Pleiades? --Job xxxviii. 31. [1913 Webster] Mildness and sweet reasonableness is the one established rule of Christian working. --M. Arnold. [1913 Webster] Note: Sweet is often used in the formation of self-explaining compounds; as, sweet-blossomed, sweet-featured, sweet-smelling, sweet-tempered, sweet-toned, etc. [1913 Webster] Sweet alyssum. (Bot.) See Alyssum. Sweet apple. (Bot.) (a) Any apple of sweet flavor. (b) See Sweet-sop. Sweet bay. (Bot.) (a) The laurel (Laurus nobilis). (b) Swamp sassafras. Sweet calabash (Bot.), a plant of the genus Passiflora (Passiflora maliformis) growing in the West Indies, and producing a roundish, edible fruit, the size of an apple. Sweet cicely. (Bot.) (a) Either of the North American plants of the umbelliferous genus Osmorrhiza having aromatic roots and seeds, and white flowers. --Gray. (b) A plant of the genus Myrrhis (Myrrhis odorata) growing in England. Sweet calamus, or Sweet cane. (Bot.) Same as Sweet flag, below. Sweet Cistus (Bot.), an evergreen shrub (Cistus Ladanum) from which the gum ladanum is obtained. Sweet clover. (Bot.) See Melilot. Sweet coltsfoot (Bot.), a kind of butterbur (Petasites sagittata) found in Western North America. Sweet corn (Bot.), a variety of the maize of a sweet taste. See the Note under Corn. Sweet fern (Bot.), a small North American shrub (Comptonia asplenifolia syn. Myrica asplenifolia) having sweet-scented or aromatic leaves resembling fern leaves. Sweet flag (Bot.), an endogenous plant (Acorus Calamus) having long flaglike leaves and a rootstock of a pungent aromatic taste. It is found in wet places in Europe and America. See Calamus, 2. Sweet gale (Bot.), a shrub (Myrica Gale) having bitter fragrant leaves; -- also called sweet willow, and Dutch myrtle. See 5th Gale. Sweet grass (Bot.), holy, or Seneca, grass. Sweet gum (Bot.), an American tree (Liquidambar styraciflua). See Liquidambar. Sweet herbs, fragrant herbs cultivated for culinary purposes. Sweet John (Bot.), a variety of the sweet William. Sweet leaf (Bot.), horse sugar. See under Horse. Sweet marjoram. (Bot.) See Marjoram. Sweet marten (Zool.), the pine marten. Sweet maudlin (Bot.), a composite plant (Achillea Ageratum) allied to milfoil. Sweet oil, olive oil. Sweet pea. (Bot.) See under Pea. Sweet potato. (Bot.) See under Potato. Sweet rush (Bot.), sweet flag. Sweet spirits of niter (Med. Chem.) See Spirit of nitrous ether, under Spirit. Sweet sultan (Bot.), an annual composite plant (Centaurea moschata), also, the yellow-flowered (Centaurea odorata); -- called also sultan flower. Sweet tooth, an especial fondness for sweet things or for sweetmeats. [Colloq.] Sweet William. (a) (Bot.) A species of pink (Dianthus barbatus) of many varieties. (b) (Zool.) The willow warbler. (c) (Zool.) The European goldfinch; -- called also sweet Billy. [Prov. Eng.] Sweet willow (Bot.), sweet gale. Sweet wine. See Dry wine, under Dry. To be sweet on, to have a particular fondness for, or special interest in, as a young man for a young woman. [Colloq.] --Thackeray. [1913 Webster] Syn: Sugary; saccharine; dulcet; luscious. [1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

sweet bay n 1: shrub or small tree having rather small fragrant white flowers; abundant in southeastern United States [syn: sweet bay, swamp bay, swamp laurel, Magnolia virginiana]