tupelo
tupelo Lexical Profile
tupelo Game Scores & Validity
• noun
North American Any of several deciduous trees of the genus Nyssa, native primarily to North America and parts of Asia, typically growing in swamps, wetlands, or moist soils.
"The boat glided silently through the dark swamp water, passing between the thick, swollen trunks of ancient water tupelos."
North American The light, soft, and cross-grained wood of the tupelo tree, commonly used for making crates, boxes, and fine wood carvings.
"The artisan preferred carving his highly detailed decoy ducks out of tupelo because of its fine grain and resistance to splitting."
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived from the Muscogee (Creek) word 'ito-opilwa', meaning 'swamp tree', formed from 'ito' (tree) and 'opilwa' (swamp). It entered American English in the mid-18th century.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.