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, bogging 

1. to sink in or as if in a bog (often followed bydown ).

   We were bogged down by overwork.

verb phrase

1. bog in,  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

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.

Other Word Forms

• boggy adjective
• bogginess noun
• boggish 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

Now, people from around the world compete in the 120 yard snorkel in a muddy bog, which takes place in Powys each year.

From BBC

And obviously, Folds knows that a show that stars a beagle and a small yellow bird that defies classification is not the right place to get bogged down in the issues of the day.

From Los Angeles Times

But the effort was ultimately bogged down by internal bureaucracy and international pressure — most notably from Qatar and Turkey, both sometime U.S. partners that harbor strong Brotherhood sympathies and bankroll Islamist causes.

From Los Angeles Times

“There were a lot more dead ends and red herrings that would bog down readers,” Hogan observes.

From Los Angeles Times

But attracting the number of insects required to populate the third largest blanket bog in Northern Ireland could take as long as six years.

From BBC

Related Words

• lowland 
• marshland 
• wetlands www.thesaurus.com