maple

Etymology

From Middle English mapel, from Old English *mapul (attested in mapultrēow and mapulder), from Proto-Germanic *mapulaz (compare Old Saxon mapulder, Old High German mazaltra, mazzaltra; Old Norse mǫpurr, Middle Low German mapeldorn, dialectal Dutch meppel, German Masseller, Maßholder), perhaps a blend of *masuraz (“knob; maple-tree”) (compare Old English mæsen (“maple”), Old Norse mǫsurr (“maple”), German Maser (“knob, offshoot”)) and *aplaz (“apple”) (see apple), from *masą (“lump, knob”) (compare obsolete German Mase (“scar”), modern Maser (“speck, measle”). More at measles.

noun

  1. A tree of the genus Acer, characterised by its usually palmate leaves and winged seeds.
  2. The wood of such a tree, prized for its hardness and attractive appearance

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