Etymology Map
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Catalpa

2 stages from Muscogee (Creek) to English.

Today it means a flowering shade tree with large leaves, showy blossoms, and long bean-like seed pods

Where does the word "catalpa" come from? It comes from Muscogee (Creek) kutuhlpa, adopted directly into English (1740s).

1
Stage 1 of 2
kutuhlpa
Muscogee (Creek) · pre-1700s
"winged head"
literally 'winged head', describing the tree's showy flower clusters or seed pods
2
Stage 2 of 2
catalpa
English · 1740s
"a flowering tree with large heart-shaped leaves and long seed pods"
adopted by English-speaking colonists in the American Southeast
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