laurel

  

lau·rel

[lawr-uhl, lor-] noun, verb, lau·reled, lau·rel·ing or ( especially British ) lau·relled, lau·rel·ling.
noun
1.
Also called bay, sweet bay. a small European evergreen tree, Laurus nobilis, of the laurel family, having dark, glossy green leaves. Compare laurel family.
2.
any tree of the genus Laurus.
3.
any of various similar trees or shrubs, as the mountain laurel or the great rhododendron.
4.
the foliage of the laurel as an emblem of victory or distinction.
5.
a branch or wreath of laurel foliage.
6.
Usually, laurels. honor won, as for achievement in a field or activity.
verb (used with object)
7.
to adorn or wreathe with laurel.
8.
to honor with marks of distinction.
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Idioms
9.
look to one's laurels, to be alert to the possibility of being excelled or surpassed: New developments in the industry are forcing long-established firms to look to their laurels.
10.
rest on one's laurels, to be content with one's past or present honors, achievements, etc.: He retired at the peak of his career and is resting on his laurels.
Origin:
1250–1300; dissimilated variant of Middle English laurer, earlier lorer < Anglo-French; Old French lorier bay tree, equivalent to lor bay, laurel (< Latin laurus) + -ier -ier2; see -er2

Related forms
un·lau·reled, adjective
un·lau·relled, adjective

Synonyms
6. glory, fame, renown, praise.
Dictionary.com Unabridged

Lau·rel

[lawr-uhl, lor-]
noun
1.
Stan ( Arthur Stanley Jefferson ) 1890–1965, U.S. motion-picture actor and comedian, born in England.
2.
a city in SE Mississippi.
3.
a town in central Maryland.
4.
a female given name.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To laurel
Collins
World English Dictionary
laurel (ˈlɒrəl) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  bay, Also called: true laurel any lauraceous tree of the genus Laurus, such as the bay tree (see bay4) and L. canariensis, of the Canary Islands and Azores
2.  any lauraceous plant
3.  cherry laurel short for mountain laurel
4.  spurge laurel a European thymelaeaceous evergreen shrub, Daphne laureola, with glossy leaves and small green flowers
5.  spotted laurel, Japan laurel an evergreen cornaceous shrub, Aucuba japonica, of S and SE Asia, the female of which has yellow-spotted leaves
6.  (plural) a wreath of true laurel, worn on the head as an emblem of victory or honour in classical times
7.  (plural) honour, distinction, or fame
8.  look to one's laurels to be on guard against one's rivals
9.  rest on one's laurels to be satisfied with distinction won by past achievements and cease to strive for further achievements
 
—vb , -rels, -relling, -relled, -rels, -reling, -reled
10.  (tr) to crown with laurels
 
[C13 lorer, from Old French lorier laurel tree, ultimately from Latin laurus]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

laurel
c.1300, lorrer, from O.Fr. laurier, from L. laurus "laurel tree," probably related to Gk. daphne "laurel" (for change of d- to l- see lachrymose), probably from a pre-IE Mediterranean language. The change of second -r- to -l- after c.1350 is by dissimilation. An emblem
of victory or of distinction, hence the phrase to rest (originally repose) on one's laurels, first attested 1859.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

laurel

see look to one's laurels; rest on one's laurels.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

laurel

city, Prince George's county, central Maryland, U.S., on the Patuxent River midway between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. The land was patented to Richard Snowden, who arrived about 1658 and founded the community. Montpelier Mansion (1783; Georgian), built by Thomas Snowden, is now owned by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. The town was named for the local laurel trees. After World War II the community experienced growth as a residential and industrial centre. The Applied Physics Laboratory of Johns Hopkins University is there. Laurel Park racecourse offers Thoroughbred racing and was the site of the annual Washington D.C. International horse race from 1952 until 1995, when the race was discontinued. The Patuxent Wildlife Research Center within Patuxent Research Refuge (southeast) is between Fort George G. Meade (an army base) and the National Agricultural Research Center. T. Howard Duckett (Rocky Gorge) Reservoir and Dam are immediately northwest. Inc. town, 1870. Pop. (1990) 19,438; (2000) 19,960.

Learn more about Laurel with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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