?a1300 Gloss. Tree- & Bird-names in M. R. James (1913) 155 (MED) Pubeler, Aubeltre.
1432 in J. C. Tingey (1910) II. 390 (MED) John Marwe..xal take the ground, pile it and plank it with englyssh oke of hert er ebel of a resonable thiknes.
(Harl. 221) 17/2 Awbel or ebelle tre [a1500 King's Cambr. ebeltre].
1467 in J. L. Fisher (1968) 1/1 Abell.
1597 J. Gerard iii. cxiii. 1303 It is called..in English white Poplar tree, and Abeell, after the Dutch name.
1664 J. Evelyn xvii. 37 The best use of the Poplar, and Abele (which are all of them hospitable Trees, for any thing thrives under their shades) is for Walks.
1681 mdclxii. 4 If any Person desire to be furnished with young Abeele Plants..they may be furnished with what quantity they please,..at 10s. a hundred.
1707 J. Mortimer 361 The Abell is a kind of white Poplar, only much finer, bears a larger Leaf, and makes a much stronger Shoot.
1730 J. Swift Let. to Certain Esquire 3 Jan. in (1765) VIII. ii. 75 You have cut down more plantations of willows, and abeles, than would purchase a dozen such islands.
1830 R. Forby Ebble, the asp tree..populus tremula.
1850 E. B. Browning (new ed.) II. 49 Six abeles i'the kirkyard grow, on the north-side in a row.
1882 16 Sept. 251/3 One very large Abele tree, rotten at the core.
1955 G. Grigson 254 Strictly the Abele is Populus alba, much imported from Holland in the seventeenth century.
1986 O. Rackham x. 208 Grey poplar, Populus canescens, is a hybrid between abele and aspen. It could in principle be ancient but in all the clones I know I suspect recent planting.
2004 K. Rushforth 126 White poplar, also known as abele, is native to Europe.