poplar

American  

[pop-ler] / ˈpɒp lər /

noun

1. any of the rapidly growing, salicaceous trees of the genus Populus, usually characterized by the columnar or spirelike manner of growth of its branches.

2. the light, soft wood of any of these trees, used for pulp.

3. any of various similar trees, as the tulip tree.

4. the wood of any such tree.

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poplar British  

/ ˈpɒplə /

noun

1. any tree of the salicaceous genus Populus, of N temperate regions, having triangular leaves, flowers borne in catkins, and light soft wood See also aspen balsam poplar Lombardy poplar white poplar

2. any of various trees resembling the true poplars, such as the tulip tree

3. the wood of any of these trees

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Other Word Forms

• poplared adjective

Etymology

Origin of poplar

1350–1400; Middle English popler ( e ), variant of populer, equivalent to Middle English, Old English popul popple ² (< Latin pōpulus poplar) + -er -er ²; suffix apparently added on model of Middle French pouplier, equivalent to pouple poplar + -ier -ier ²

Example Sentences

At this time of the year, Chinese social media is awash with photographs of Xinjiang's poplar forests bathed in autumn's amber glow.

From BBC • Nov. 1, 2025

Ranchera music filled her section of the field as a cool breeze blew through four towering poplar trees Alvarez’s father, Hilario Alvarez, planted when he bought the farm in 1988.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 22, 2023

In their experiments, which used poplar plants, the team also found that when a leaf experienced warming of 10 degrees Celsius, its isoprene emission increased more than tenfold, Sahu said.

From Science Daily • Oct. 5, 2023

Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands—One day in May, a team of scientists parked their cars in a German nature park near the Baltic Sea and stared at the top of a 30-meter-tall black poplar tree.

From Science Magazine • Sep. 26, 2023

A giant poplar, tall and high, serene and cool against the sky.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith