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Synonyms

peat

1 American  
[peet] / pit /

noun

  1. a highly organic material found in marshy or damp regions, composed of partially decayed vegetable matter: it is cut and dried for use as fuel.

  2. such vegetable matter used as fertilizer or fuel.

peat 2 American  
[peet] / pit /

noun

  1. Obsolete. a merry young girl; darling (used as a term of endearment).

peat 1 British  
/ piːt /

noun

    1. a compact brownish deposit of partially decomposed vegetable matter saturated with water: found in uplands and bogs in temperate and cold regions and used as a fuel (when dried) and as a fertilizer

    2. ( as modifier )

      peat bog

  2. a piece of dried peat for use as fuel

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
peat 2 British  
/ piːt /

noun

  1. archaic a person, esp a woman

  2. obsolete a term of endearment for a girl or woman

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
peat Scientific  
/ pēt /

  1. Partially decayed vegetable matter, especially peat moss, found in bogs. The low levels of oxygen and the acidic environment in bogs prevent the degradation of peat. Peat is burned as fuel and also used as fertilizer.

  2. See more at bog

Other Word Forms

  • peaty adjective

Etymology

Origin of peat1

1300–50; Middle English pete (compare Anglo-Latin peta ) < ?

Origin of peat2

First recorded in 1560–70; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A Bronze Age shield found in a peat bog has been returned to Scotland for the first time in more than 230 years.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

To better understand past fire activity, researchers examined charcoal preserved in peat deposits from Central and South America, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Australasia.

From Science Daily • Mar. 19, 2026

A former dairy farm could be transformed into an "internationally recognised hub for research", focused on restoring lowland peat bogs.

From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026

Tightening regulation and environmental concerns over sphagnum - the bog moss that turns to peat - have brought changes, but commercial gathering of common moss remains legal in Wales provided pickers have a permit.

From BBC • Mar. 8, 2026

A ragged skin had been hung across the narrow window to keep the damp out, and a slab of peat smoldered in a brazier.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.