tu|pe|lo

tu|pe|lo «TOO puh loh, TYOO-», noun, plural -los.

1. a large, North American tree that belongs to the same family as the sour gum, whose flowers are used for making honey; cotton gum.

2. its light, soft but tough wood. Tupelo is used for furniture, pulpwood, crates, and boxes.

╂[American English, apparently < Algonkian ito tree + opilwa swamp]