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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archaic a person, esp a woman
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obsolete a term of endearment for a girl or woman
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
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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
Explanation
Peat is a rich, dark, dirt-like material that's made from decomposed organic matter. You can use peat in gardens and potted plants, to help the soil stay moist. Peat is like a naturally occurring compost — it forms in bogs from plants that have broken down. In many parts of the world, peat is burned as a fuel, and in others it's a popular mulch in gardens and on farms. If it's left to continue decomposing for many years, peat eventually turns into lignite, a low-grade coal that can also be burned for heat or as an energy source.
Vocabulary lists containing peat
Western Europe - Introductory
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Western Europe - Middle School and High School
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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
The land, situated on the Somerset Levels and Moors, is one of the few areas in the UK that still holds deep lowland peat - which are waterlogged wetland ecosystems.
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
Although forests in the western U.S. generally do not contain the same thick peat soils found in northern boreal regions, several other factors still influence wildfire emissions.
From Science Daily • Mar. 4, 2026
“In here,” she whispered and, looking around to make sure we hadn’t been seen, pushed me through a door into a cramped hovel that reeked of peat smoke.
From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs
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.
