bog

¹

[bog, bawg]

noun

British Slang.

1. a lavatory; bathroom.

bog

²

[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

/ 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

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

Origin of bog²

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of bog¹

C13: from Gaelic bogach swamp, from bog soft

Example Sentences

He knew he should probably seek a permit but didn’t want to get bogged down in red tape.

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“North” was a galvanizing book for its bog poems as well as sequences such as “Singing School” and “Whatever You Say Say Nothing”:

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Sports move so fast that we don’t have time to get bogged down with approvals and multiple meetings to discuss one thing.

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Companies would theoretically also be able to avoid opposition from communities that don’t want data centers in their backyards and sidestep regulations that bog down construction on Earth.

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The movie doesn’t get bogged down in this kind of thing, but it does have a somber air and a looser, more digressive plot than its predecessor.

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Related Words

• lowland 
• marshland 
• wetlands www.thesaurus.com