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Added 9 October 2026

maple

/ˈmeɪpl̩/ noun

In Latin: acer Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about maple at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Wood of any of various maple trees; especially the hard close-grained wood of the sugar maple; used especially for furniture and flooring.
Any of numerous trees or shrubs of the genus Acer bearing winged seeds in pairs; north temperate zone.

Origin

The noun is derived from Middle English mapel (“tree of species Acer campestre, sole native maple of the British Isles); wood of such a tree; artistic representation of a maple leaf; a beam, pole, stake (?)”), from Old English *mapul (attested in mapulder (“maple tree”), mapultrēow (“maple tree”), etc.), from Proto-West Germanic *mapul (“maple tree”), from Proto-Germanic *mapulaz; further etymology uncertain, possibly from *masuraz (“type of wood with spots or veins, such as maple or walnut”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *mos- (“skin sore”)) + *aplaz (“apple; fruit”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ébōl (“apple; apple tree”)).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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