popple

¹

[pop-uhl]

noun

Northern U.S.

1. a poplar of the genus Populus.

popple

²

[pop-uhl]

verb (used without object)

poppled, poppling 

1. to move in a tumbling, irregular manner, as boiling water.

noun

1. a poppling motion.

popple

/ ˈpɒpəl /

verb

1. (of boiling water or a choppy sea) to heave or toss; bubble

2. (often foll by along) (of a stream or river) to move with an irregular tumbling motion

   the small rivulet poppled along over rocks and stones for half a mile

Word History and Origins

Origin of popple¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English popul, from Latin pōpulus

Origin of popple²

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English poplen; imitative; -le

Word History and Origins

Origin of popple¹

C14: of imitative origin; compare Middle Dutch popelen to bubble, throb

Example Sentences

That’s why they also employ people like Dave Popple.

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Popple, a 59-year-old psychologist, is hired by top trading firms to assess senior recruits and weed out those unlikely to thrive in these pressure-cooker environments.

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“He didn’t think he deserved it,” Popple says.

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Usually, Popple says, the traders realize that setbacks reflect market moves, not a trader’s skill.

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“They definitely don’t talk to a supervisor if something is going wrong,” Popple says, since they are worried about being compared with better-performing colleagues.

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