swamp

English

/swɒmp/, /swɑmp/

noun
Definitions
  • A piece of wet, spongy land; low ground saturated with water; soft, wet ground which may have a growth of certain kinds of trees, but is unfit for agricultural or pastoral purposes.
  • A type of wetland that stretches for vast distances, and is home to many creatures which have adapted specifically to that environment.
  • (figurative) A place or situation that is foul or where progress is difficult.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English swam (bog, swamp, mushroom, muddy pool, marsh, also fungus) inherited from Old English swamm (mushroom, sponge, fungus) inherited from Middle English sompe (morass, marsh) derived from Middle Dutch somp derived from Middle Low German sump (marsh, swamp) derived from Old Saxon *sump (marsh, swamp) inherited from Proto-Germanic *sumpaz.

Origin

Proto-Germanic

*sumpaz

Gloss

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms