[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. |
[too-puh-loh, tyoo-] | a city in NE Mississippi. 23,905. |
| 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. |
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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