tupelo

[ too-puh-loh, tyoo- ]

noun,plural tu·pe·los.
  1. any of several trees of the genus Nyssa, having ovate leaves, clusters of minute flowers, and purple, berrylike fruit, especially N. aquatica, of swampy regions of the eastern, southern, and midwestern U.S.

  2. the soft, light wood of these trees.

Origin of tupelo

1
1720–30, Americanism; perhaps <Creek *’topilwa literally, swamp tree (equivalent to íto tree + opílwa swamp)

Words Nearby tupelo

Other definitions for Tupelo (2 of 2)

Tupelo
[ too-puh-loh, tyoo- ]

noun
  1. a city in NE Mississippi.

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How to use tupelo in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tupelo

tupelo

/ (ˈtjuːpɪˌləʊ) /


nounplural -los
  1. any of several cornaceous trees of the genus Nyssa, esp N. aquatica, a large tree of deep swamps and rivers of the southern US

  2. the light strong wood of any of these trees

Origin of tupelo

1
C18: from Creek ito opilwa, from ito tree + opilwa swamp

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