sugar maple

American  

noun

1. any of several maples having a sweet sap, especially Acer saccharum (the state tree of New York, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin), having a short trunk and long, curving branches, yielding a hard wood used for making furniture and being the chief source of maple sugar.

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sugar maple British  

noun

1. a North American maple tree, Acer saccharum, that is grown as a source of sugar, which is extracted from the sap, and for its hard wood

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• sugar-maple
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of sugar maple

An Americanism dating back to 1725–35

Example Sentences

Old growth forests of sugar maple, birch and hemlock towered over our tents, cushioned our trails with pine needles and scented our days.

From Seattle Times • May 24, 2024

This nest, high in a sugar maple in the hospital’s courtyard, was massive—and looked like metal.

From Scientific American • Jul. 18, 2023

Americans began exchanging valentines in the early 1700s — small handmade cards sometimes accompanied by hard, often heart-shaped sugar, maple or honey candies.

From Washington Times • Feb. 13, 2023

Standing under the old sugar maple, I want to sing a hymn.

From New York Times • Nov. 24, 2022

She rolled over the block of sugar maple, a castoff from someone’s construction project, and it became her perch whenever she had a spare moment.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead