swamp

Meanings

Noun

• 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.
• A place or situation that is foul or where progress is difficult.

Verb

• To drench or fill with water.
• To overwhelm; to make too busy, or overrun the capacity of.
• To plunge into difficulties and perils; to overwhelm; to ruin; to wreck.

Origin

• From a fusion of Middle English swam, from Old English swamm, and Middle English sompe, from Middle Dutch somp, sump, or Middle Low German sump, from Old Saxon *sump; all from Proto-Germanic *sumpaz. Cognate with Dutch zwamp, Middle Low German swamp, Dutch zomp, {{cog|nds-de|Sump|t=swamp, bog,
• , German Sumpf, Swedish sump. Related also to Dutch zwam, German Schwamm, Swedish svamp, Icelandic svampur, sveppur, Gothic 𐍃𐍅𐌿𐌼𐍃𐌻. Related to sump, swim.