fen

¹ American  

[fen] / fɛn /

noun

1. low land covered wholly or partially with water; boggy land; a marsh.

2. the Fens, a marshy region W and S of The Wash, in E England.

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fen ² American  

[fen] / fɛn /

noun

plural

fen

1. an aluminum coin and monetary unit of the People's Republic of China, the hundredth part of a yuan or the tenth part of a jiao.

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fen ¹ British  

/ fɛn /

noun

1. low-lying flat land that is marshy or artificially drained

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fen ² British  

/ fɛn /

noun

1. a monetary unit of the People's Republic of China, worth one hundredth of a yuan

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Etymology

Origin of fen¹

before 900; Middle English, Old English; cognate with Old Norse fen quagmire, Gothic fani mud, Dutch ven, German Fenn fen, bog

Origin of fen²

First recorded in 1905–10, fen is from the Chinese word fēn

Explanation

A fen is a marshy area — a damp, grassy area of ground. If your entire back yard is a fen, you'll want to wear tall rubber boots when you walk your dog. A fen is similar to a marsh, a mire, a swamp, or a bog. In all of these wetland ecosystems, the water level tends to rise and fall, leaving them constantly soggy to some degree. Fens are distinguished by the kinds of plants that grow there, including tall grasses and moss, and by the acidity of the water. The word fen comes from the Old English fenn, which means "mud, mire, dirt, or marsh."

Example Sentences

He found no sign of skaters or a wonky telegraph pole often referred to in fen skating circles.

From BBC • Jan. 26, 2023

The Sacketts’ property was connected to a fen and, thence, to the lake, via a “shallow subsurface flow” of moisture, the agency advised, making it subject to the 1972 Clean Water Act.

From Washington Post • Oct. 5, 2022

She found, about 15 inches underground, partially decayed roots, twigs and the cold moisture of a fen.

From Washington Times • Sep. 13, 2020

She keeps her world of the fen people half-hidden from him, although she explains how they “call upon the water” to form islands without digging or creating dikes or walls.

From New York Times • Sep. 17, 2019

It was actually a wicked dew from an unwholesome fen, but I'm a lot smarter than Romeo, and I know when to shut up.

From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt