swamp

[ swomp ]
/ swɒmp /

noun

a tract of wet, spongy land, often having a growth of certain types of trees and other vegetation, but unfit for cultivation.

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Origin of swamp

1615–25; < Dutch zwamp creek, fen; akin to sump and to Middle Low German swamp, Old Norse svǫppr sponge

OTHER WORDS FROM swamp

swamp·ish, adjective un·der·swamp, noun

Example sentences from the Web for swamped

British Dictionary definitions for swamped

swamp
/ (swɒmp) /

noun

  1. permanently waterlogged ground that is usually overgrown and sometimes partly forestedCompare marsh
  2. (as modifier)swamp fever

verb

to drench or submerge or be drenched or submerged
nautical to cause (a boat) to sink or fill with water or (of a boat) to sink or fill with water
to overburden or overwhelm or be overburdened or overwhelmed, as by excess work or great numbers we have been swamped with applications
to sink or stick or cause to sink or stick in or as if in a swamp
(tr) to render helpless

Derived forms of swamp

swampish, adjective swampless, adjective swampy, adjective

Word Origin for swamp

C17: probably from Middle Dutch somp; compare Middle High German sumpf, Old Norse svöppr sponge, Greek somphos spongy

Scientific definitions for swamped

swamp
[ swŏmp ]

An area of low-lying wet or seasonally flooded land, often having trees and dense shrubs or thickets.