Laurus \Lau"rus\, n. [L., laurel.] (Bot.) A genus of trees including, according to modern authors, only the true laurel ({Laurus nobilis}), and the larger {L. Canariensis} of Madeira and the Canary Islands. Formerly the sassafras, the camphor tree, the cinnamon tree, and several other aromatic trees and shrubs, were also referred to the genus {Laurus}.