aspen
part of speech
noun (an aspen, aspens)
meaning for a pupil
1) An aspen is a tall, thin tree of the poplar family, with round leaves on long, flat stalks that make them shake and flutter in the slightest wind. tree →
2) Aspen wood is light and soft. tree →
sense in the lessons
In science lessons on trees and seasons, aspens are famous for leaves that tremble («quaking aspen») and turn bright gold in autumn. A grove of aspens can grow from one shared root system, so it can be one huge living thing. In stories and poems, «trembling like an aspen leaf» means shaking with fear. Aspen is also a ski town in Colorado, USA. Phrases: «quaking aspen», «trembling aspen», «aspen leaves», «shake like an aspen leaf».
examples
- The aspen leaves trembled in the breeze. tree →
- In autumn, the aspens turned golden yellow. tree →
- A whole forest of aspens can grow from one root. tree →
- She was shaking like an aspen leaf before her solo. tree →
- Beavers like to chew aspen trees. tree →
- Aspen bark is pale and smooth. tree →
- I shook like an aspen leaf at the sight, and my spirit quaked for fear. tree →
note
Use «an»: «an aspen». Plural «aspens». Capital A for the town. The leaves tremble because of their flat stalks, not because the tree is weak.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «aspen» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.