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, nounWords nearby swamp
Example sentences from the Web for swamp
British Dictionary definitions for swamp
swamp
/ (swɒmp) /
noun
- permanently waterlogged ground that is usually overgrown and sometimes partly forestedCompare marsh
- (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, adjectiveWord Origin for swamp
C17: probably from Middle Dutch
somp; compare Middle High German
sumpf, Old Norse
svöppr sponge, Greek
somphos spongy
Scientific definitions for swamp
swamp
[ swŏmp ]
An area of low-lying wet or seasonally flooded land, often having trees and dense shrubs or thickets.