Spanish Conversation · Level 91
59 words
Spanish word
laurel
Pronunciation
IPA/lauˈɾel/
Meaning
- masculine nounbay leaf
Example
Puse una hoja de laurel en la sopa.
I put a bay leaf in the soup.
More examples
Se pone laurel en los guisos para dar sabor.
Bay leaves are put in stews to give them flavor.
Core concept
Bay laurel tree, source of the perfumed leaves also used as a spice.
Common phrases
hojas de laurel
laurel leaves
cocinar con laurel
cooking with laurel
Similar words
hoja de laurel: Individual dried leaf from the bay laurel used to flavor broths and sauces.
ramita: Slender woody shoot or small branch with leaves or buds.
hierba: Tender green plant with soft stems used as a culinary or medicinal herb.
especia: Aromatic dried ingredient from plants used to season food.
Definition in Spanish
Denota un árbol de hojas perennes con aroma intenso y, por metonimia, las hojas secas empleadas como condimento en guisos.
Word origin
From Latin laurus, the word kept the sense of the laurel tree while by metonymy referring to its aromatic leaves used in cooking and ritual.
Usage tips
- Spanish laurel can also mean the tree or wreaths of honor, so in cooking contexts speakers usually specify hoja de laurel for the bay leaf.
Other meanings
- laurel treenoun
- laurel wreathnoun