aspen

¹ American  

[as-puhn] / ˈæs pən /

noun

1. any of various poplars, as Populus tremula, of Europe, and P. tremuloides quaking aspen or P. alba white aspen, of America, having soft wood and alternate ovate leaves that tremble in the slightest breeze.

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adjective

1. of or relating to the aspen.

2. trembling or quivering, like the leaves of the aspen.

Aspen ² American  

[as-puhn] / ˈæs pən /

noun

1. a town in central Colorado: ski resort.

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aspen British  

/ ˈæspən /

noun

1. Archaic name: asp.  any of several trees of the salicaceous genus Populus, such as P. tremula of Europe, in which the leaves are attached to the stem by long flattened stalks so that they quiver in the wind

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adjective

1. archaic trembling

Etymology

Origin of aspen

1350–1400; Middle English aspen (adj.), Old English æspen; cognate with Old Frisian espen (adj.), espenbeam, Middle Dutch espenboom, Old High German espîn (adj.). See asp ², -en ²

Example Sentences

It has been trying to restore the woodlands by introducing downy birch, sessile oak, hazel, willow, aspen and alder as well as endangered tree species such as Arran whitebeam.

From BBC • Apr. 28, 2025

In many areas, deciduous shrubs and trees, like willow and aspen, are moving in after a fire.

From Science Daily • Apr. 16, 2024

Seattle-based artist and journalist Jeff Rice recorded the sounds for this multimedia installation in Pando, a gigantic grove of interconnected quaking aspen trees in Utah — and one of the world’s largest single organisms.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 22, 2024

Ed Z’berg Sugar Pine Point State Park is 2,000 acres of dense pine, fir, aspen and cedar forest along the quiet western shores of Lake Tahoe.

From New York Times • Dec. 6, 2022

A breeze whisked through orchard branches, rippled aspen leaves, stirred across the lawn, and slightly tickled the swimming pool water.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols