Etymologically
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maple

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈmeɪpl̩/ (UK); /ˈmeɪp(ə)l/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English mapel, inherited from Old English mapul-, found in mapultrēow (“maple tree”) and mapuldur,[2][3][4][5] from Proto-Germanic *maplō,[3] cognate with Old Norse mǫpurr, Old Saxon mapulder and Middle Low German mapeldorn.[2][3][6] There was also a Proto-Germanic *matlō, the source of Old High German mazzaltra, but the connection and origins are mysterious.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The tree, in Old English compounds: 770 in the OED, 774 (mapultrēo) in Barnhart, mapuldur about 700.[7][2] The word used on its own is first recorded in the 14th century,[4][5] probably before 1300 (mapel) in Barnhart.[2]

Semantic evolution

The wood of the maple is from 1396–7,[7] and named species, such as the bird's-eye maple, from 1597.[7] The forms in -le are from about 1400.[3] The trees are valued for their wood, for their sugar, and as shade or ornamental trees.[3] Maple as a colour is from 1853.[7]

Timeline

  • c. 700 – mapuldur.[2]
  • 770 – maple tree (OED).[7]
  • probably before 1300 – mapel.[2]
  • 1396–7 – maple wood.[7]
  • 1853 – maple, the colour.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A tree or shrub of the genus Acer, with lobed leaves and winged seeds borne in pairs.
  2. The hard, close-grained wood of these trees, used for furniture and floors.
  3. The flavour of the sap of the sugar maple; maple syrup.

Word family

  • maplelike
  • bird's-eye maple
  • maple honey
  • maple leaf

Usage notes

In south Cumberland, maple meant the sycamore.[8]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)