peat
1 Americannoun
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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.
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such vegetable matter used as fertilizer or fuel.
noun
noun
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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
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( as modifier )
peat bog
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a piece of dried peat for use as fuel
noun
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archaic a person, esp a woman
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obsolete a term of endearment for a girl or woman
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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.
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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.
The fire spread through deep peat and ignited in several other locations.
From BBC
While some of the emissions come from recently grown plant material, up to 40 percent of the carbon dioxide originates from peat that accumulated thousands of years ago in nearby ecosystems.
From Science Daily
Instead of fully decomposing, plant material builds up layer upon layer over thousands of years, forming deep deposits of peat that lock away carbon for the long term.
From Science Daily
Sphagnum moss can hold 20 times its weight in water and helps create peat bogs, where dead vegetation accumulates rather than decays, capturing carbon in the ground.
From BBC
Sitting on the deck, I put my nose to the glass and breathed in aromas of light peat, ripe plums, shortbread and, floating in on the breeze, sea air.
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.
