tu⋅pe⋅lo
[too-puh-loh, tyoo-] 
| 1. | any of several trees of the genus Nyssa, having ovate leaves, clusters of minute flowers, and purple, berrylike fruit, esp. N. aquatica, of swampy regions of the eastern, southern, and midwestern U.S. |
| 2. | the soft, light wood of these trees. |
1720–30, Americanism; perh. < Creek *’topilwa lit., swamp tree (equiv. to íto tree + opílwa swamp)
Tu⋅pe⋅lo
[too-puh-loh, tyoo-] | a city in NE Mississippi. 23,905. |
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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| tu·pe·lo (tōō'pə-lō', tyōō'-) n. pl. tu·pe·los
[Probably Creek 'topilwa : íto, tree + opílwa, swamp.] |
| Tu·pe·lo (tōō'pə-lō', tyōō'-) A city of northeast Mississippi north-northwest of Columbus. It was the site of a Civil War battle (July 14, 1864) in which Union forces defeated the Confederate troops led by Gen. Nathan B. Forrest. Population: 35,900. |
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Tupelo
Tu"pe*lo\, n. [Tupelo, or tupebo, the native American Indian name.] (Bot.) A North American tree (Nyssa multiflora) of the Dogwood family, having brilliant, glossy foliage and acid red berries. The wood is crossgrained and very difficult to split. Called also black gum, sour gum, and pepperidge. Largo tupelo, or Tupelo gum (Bot.), an American tree (Nyssa uniflora) with softer wood than the tupelo. Sour tupelo (Bot.), the Ogeechee lime.Cite This Source
tupelo
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Tupelo
city, seat (1867) of Lee county, northeastern Mississippi, U.S., located 62 miles (100 km) northeast of Columbus. It is the headquarters and focal point of the Natchez Trace Parkway. In 1859 the original settlement of Harrisburg was moved 2 miles (3 km) east to the Mobile and Ohio Railroad line. The new community, Gum Pond, was later renamed Tupelo for the local tupelo trees that supplied construction timber. It developed as a processing and shipping centre for cotton and dairy produce; it is now a distribution and manufacturing centre producing furniture and tires. The city has branch campuses of the University of Mississippi and Itawamba Community College
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