Laurel Meaning
/ˈlɒɹ.əl/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounAn evergreen shrub of species Laurus nobilis, having aromatic leaves of a lanceolate shape, with clusters of small, yellowish white flowers in their axils.
nounA crown of laurel.
Sentence Examples
Do you know of a dish that has laurel leaves in it?
Laurel leaf tea is said to fight insomnia.
They presented a green laurel wreath to the winner.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ancient Greeks traditionally made victory crowns from branches of the ____ tree.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
In ancient times, a ____ wreath was given to the winners of competitions as a symbol of their great victory.
Word Origin & History
Inherited from Middle English laurer, laurel, from Anglo-Norman lorer, from Old French lorier, from Vulgar Latin *laurārius, from Latin laurus (“laurel”). Doublet of loureiro.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Laurel leaves were used in the Orient to promote amatory exercise."
— 1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 136:
"I was semi-famous; I had been something, but as one worthy critic remarked: past laurels fade fast."
— 2017, Fiona Lewis, Mistakes Were Made (Some in French), Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 3:
"Windows peered from the spaces between the columns, which rose to hold up the large portico laureling the home with chiseled, decorative wreaths and curving spirals."
— 2014, Cayden Carrico, A Nocturne of Echoes, →ISBN, page 32:
"It wasn't hot this late in the year, and the sun was low in the southern sky, bracketed by pines and nearly hidden by a tree line laureling a trailer park."
— 2013, John Hornor Jacobs, The Twelve-Fingered Boy, →ISBN, page 161:
"In this regiment there was a young corporal, a native of Little K . He was laurelled and decorated more than many of his companions, for he excelled them all in courage, coolness, and daring. In one thing more he also excelled them — he was cruel, he was dissipated, and he was vicious in his tastes."
— 1866, Archibald Fergusson, The crusher' and the Cross, page 149:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ancient Greeks traditionally made victory crowns from branches of the ____ tree.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
In ancient times, a ____ wreath was given to the winners of competitions as a symbol of their great victory.