maple
n. C / Un. a type of tree with leaves that have several points. You might know it because its sweet sap is used to make syrup for pancakes.
n. any of various deciduous trees or shrubs of the genus Acer, characterized by palmately lobed leaves and winged fruits. Often cultivated for timber, shade, or the production of syrup.
The maple leaves turn bright red in the autumn.
We spent the morning hiking through a forest filled with tall maple and oak trees.
The furniture is crafted from solid maple, a hardwood prized for its durability and the fine, consistent grain that takes a polish exceptionally well.
From Middle English mapel, from Old English mapul (attested in mapultrēow and mapulder), from Proto-West Germanic mapul. See also Old Saxon mapulder, Old High German mazaltra, mazzaltra; also Old Norse mǫpurr, Middle Low German mapeldorn, dialectal Dutch meppel, German Masseller, Maßholder; also Old English mæsen (“maple”), Old Norse mǫsurr (“maple”), German Maser (“knob, offshoot”); also German Mase (“scar”), modern Maser (“speck, measle”). More at measles.
Countable when referring to the tree species; uncountable when referring to the wood as a material.