1.
[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.
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Note: The name is extended to other plants which in some
respect resemble the true laurel. See Phrases, below.
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2. A crown of laurel; hence, honor; distinction; fame; --
especially in the plural; as, to win laurels.
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3. An English gold coin made in 1619, and so called because
the king's head on it was crowned with laurel.
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Laurel water, water distilled from the fresh leaves of the
cherry laurel, and containing prussic acid and other
products carried over in the process.
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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.
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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.
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Gray swamps and pools, waste places of the hern.
--Tennyson.
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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).
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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.
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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.
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2. Pleasing to the smell; fragrant; redolent; balmy; as, a
sweet rose; sweet odor; sweet incense.
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The breath of these flowers is sweet to me.
--Longfellow.
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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.
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To make his English sweet upon his tongue.
--Chaucer.
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A voice sweet, tremulous, but powerful. --Hawthorne.
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4. Pleasing to the eye; beautiful; mild and attractive; fair;
as, a sweet face; a sweet color or complexion.
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Sweet interchange
Of hill and valley, rivers, woods, and plains.
--Milton.
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5. Fresh; not salt or brackish; as, sweet water. --Bacon.
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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.
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7. Plaesing to the mind; mild; gentle; calm; amiable;
winning; presuasive; as, sweet manners.
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Canst thou bind the sweet influence of Pleiades?
--Job xxxviii.
31.
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Mildness and sweet reasonableness is the one
established rule of Christian working. --M. Arnold.
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Note: Sweet is often used in the formation of self-explaining
compounds; as, sweet-blossomed, sweet-featured,
sweet-smelling, sweet-tempered, sweet-toned, etc.
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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.
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Syn: Sugary; saccharine; dulcet; luscious.
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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]