aspen
pronunciation
How to pronounce aspen in British English:
UK [ˈæspən]
How to pronounce aspen in American English:
US [ˈæspən]
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- Noun:
- any of several trees of the genus Populus having leaves on flattened stalks so that they flutter in the lightest wind
Word Origin
- aspen (n.)
- late 14c., from adjective or genitive form of Old English æspe "aspen tree, white poplar," from Proto-Germanic *aspo- (cognates: Old Norse ösp, Middle Dutch espe, Old High German aspa, German Espe), from PIE *apsa "aspen" (cognates: Lithuanian opuse). The current form in English probably arose from phrases such as aspen leaf, aspen bark (see -en (2)). Its leaves have been figurative of tremulousness and quaking since at least early 15c. (an Old English name for it was cwicbeam, literally "quick-tree").
Example
- 1. Aspen isn 't very flammable , making for a slow-burning , non-fingertip-singeing matchstick .
- 2. It includes some of the world 's largest stands of fast-growing aspen trees , which can gain 5 feet ( 1.5 meters ) in a year .
- 3. In aspen , asexual reproduction or clonality is achieved via underground lateral roots that eventually produce new clone members / ramets .
- 4. When I saw this bright yellow aspen grove on the side of the road , I hiked into it to see what pictures I could get .
- 5. Researchers at the university of british columbia have shown that as long-lived male aspen clones age , their sexual performance declines .