yellow poplar
- noun
- /ˈjɛloʊ ˈpɑːpələr/
- US
:
álamo amarillo
- In spring, the yellow poplar is covered in greenish-yellow tulip-shaped flowers.
Examples
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In spring, the yellow poplar is covered in striking greenish-yellow tulip-shaped flowers.
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The yellow poplar tree grows tall and strong.
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Our cabin was built from locally sourced yellow poplar logs.
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The yellow poplar is prized by woodworkers for its fine, even-grained timber.
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The yellow poplar is known for its beautiful flowers.
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Our cabin was constructed from durable yellow poplar wood, which gives it a rustic charm.
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Woodworkers often choose yellow poplar for its soft texture, making it easy to carve.
Synonyms
1
5.2
A tall North American tree that has large yellow and green tulip-shaped flowers and soft pale wood for furniture
1
6.6
A tall North American tree with tulip-shaped yellow-green flowers and soft white wood used for furniture
A tall North American tree with tulip-shaped yellow-green flowers and soft white wood used for furniture
A tall North American tree with tulip-shaped yellow flowers and soft white wood used for cabinets
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is a straightforward adjective + tree name, so a B1 learner who knows 'yellow' and 'poplar' would likely infer it refers to a kind of poplar or yellowish/light wood. However, the term is a specific common name for the tulip tree's timber and carries domain-specific botanical and woodworking senses (and a taxonomic mismatch) that are not fully derivable from the constituents.
Etymology
Yellow poplar may come from a simple picture: the tall tree makes pale, tulip-shaped flowers and has light-coloured wood, so people called it yellow poplar because of its 'yellow' flowers and soft wood like 'poplar'. That's why yellow poplar refers to the tree itself, even though it is really a 'tulip tree'.