sweet bay

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

sweet′ bay′, 

1. Plant Biology laurel (def. 1).
2. Plant Biology an American magnolia, Magnolia virginiana, having large oblong leaves and fragrant, white flowers, common on the Atlantic coast.
• 1710–20

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

sweet bay noun

1. a small tree, Magnolia virginiana, of SE North America, having large fragrant white flowers: family Magnoliaceae (magnolias)
   Sometimes shortened to: bay