aspen

[as-puh n] /ˈæs pən/

noun

any of various poplars, as Populus tremula, of Europe, and P. tremuloides (quaking aspen) or P. alba (white aspen) of America, having soft wood and alternate ovate leaves that tremble in the slightest breeze.

adjective

of or pertaining to the aspen.

trembling or quivering, like the leaves of the aspen.

Origin

1350-1400; Middle English aspen (adj.), Old English æspen; cognate with Old Frisian espen (adj.), espenbeam, Middle Dutch espenboom, Old High German espîn (adj.). See asp², -en²

Aspen

[as-puh n] /ˈæs pən/

noun

a town in central Colorado: ski resort.

British Dictionary definitions for aspen

aspen

/ˈæspən/

noun

any of several trees of the salicaceous genus Populus, such as P. tremula of Europe, in which the leaves are attached to the stem by long flattened stalks so that they quiver in the wind Archaic name asp

adjective

(archaic, mainly literary) trembling

Word Origin

Old English æspe; see asp²

Word Origin and History for aspen

late 14c., from adjective or genitive form of Old English æspe "aspen tree, white poplar," from Proto-Germanic *aspo (cf. Old Norse ösp, Middle Dutch espe, Old High German aspa, German Espe), from PIE *apsa "aspen" (cf. Lithuanian opuse). The current form in English probably arose from phrases such as aspen leaf, aspen bark. 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").

aspen in Technology

language
A toy language for teaching compiler construction.
["ASPEN Language Specifications", T.R. Wilcox, SIGPLAN Notices 12(11):70-87, Nov 1977].
(1994-11-30)

Related Abbreviations for aspen

ASPEN

American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition