poplar
[ pop-ler ]
/ ˈpɒp lər /
|
noun
any of the rapidly growing, salicaceous trees of the genus Populus, usually characterized by the columnar or spirelike manner of growth of its branches.
the light, soft wood of any of these trees, used for pulp.
any of various similar trees, as the tulip tree.
the wood of any such tree.
Nearby words
popinac, popinjay, popish, popish plot, popishly, poplar, poplar bluff, poples, poplin, popliteal, popliteal artery
Origin of poplar
Related formspop·lared, adjective
Can be confusedpoplar popular
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for poplar
British Dictionary definitions for poplar
poplar
/ (ˈpɒplə) /
noun
any tree of the salicaceous genus Populus, of N temperate regions, having triangular leaves, flowers borne in catkins, and light soft woodSee also aspen, balsam poplar, Lombardy poplar, white poplar
any of various trees resembling the true poplars, such as the tulip tree
the wood of any of these trees
Word Origin for poplar
C14: from Old French poplier, from pouple, from Latin pōpulus
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for poplar
poplar
mid-14c., from Anglo-French popler, from Old French poplier (13c., Modern French peulplier), from Latin populus "poplar" (with a long "o;" not the same word that produced popular), of unknown origin, possibly from a PIE tree-name root *p(y)el- (cf. Greek pelea "elm"). Italian pioppo, Spanish chopo, German pappel, Old Church Slavonic topoli all are from Latin.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper