bog

¹

[ bog, bawg ]

noun

1. wet, spongy ground with soil composed mainly of decayed vegetable matter.
2. an area or stretch of such ground.

verb (used with or without object)

, bogged, bog·ging.

1. to sink in or as if in a bog (often followed by down ):

   We were bogged down by overwork.

verb phrase

1. Australian Slang. to eat heartily and ravenously.

bog

²

[ bog, bawg ]

noun

, British Slang.

1. a lavatory; bathroom.

bog

/ bɒɡ /

noun

1. wet spongy ground consisting of decomposing vegetation, which ultimately forms peat
2. an area of such ground
3. a place or thing that prevents or slows progress or improvement
4. a slang word for lavatory
5. slang.
   the act or an instance of defecating

bog

/ bôg /

1. An area of wet, spongy ground consisting mainly of decayed or decaying peat moss (sphagnum) and other vegetation. Bogs form as the dead vegetation sinks to the bottom of a lake or pond, where it decays slowly to form peat. Peat bogs are important to global ecology, since the undecayed peat moss stores large amounts of carbon that would otherwise be released back into the atmosphere. Global warming may accelerate decay in peat bogs and release more carbon dioxide, which in turn may cause further warming.

Derived Forms

• ˈboggy, adjective
• ˈbogginess, noun

Other Words From

• boggish adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of bog¹

1495–1505; < Irish or Scots Gaelic bogach soft ground ( bog soft + -ach noun suffix); bog ¹( def 4 ) perhaps a different word

Origin of bog²

1780–90; probably shortening of bog-house; compare bog to defecate, boggard (16th century) privy, of obscure origin

Word History and Origins

Origin of bog¹

C13: from Gaelic bogach swamp, from bog soft

Example Sentences

But the weight of expectations is a heavy thing to bear and they bog down this capable movie version on its way to liftoff.

From Los Angeles Times

Aged just 20, he was killed when his plane crashed into a nearby bog at Knocknagore in February 1945.

From BBC

Chinitz added that the reinstitution of fault-only grounds would "bog down" the already overwhelmed family court system as estranged couples air out their deeply personal grievances and spar over proving one party's wrongdoing.

From Salon

Multiple searches have been carried out over the years, concentrating on Bragan Bog near Emyvale in County Monaghan.

From BBC

Somewhere, the aforementioned Spanish director behind “The Exterminating Angel” is nodding wryly at the idea of a satire about G-7 leaders set in a peat bog thick with mummified zombies.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• lowland
• marshland
• wetlands