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peat moss

See more synonyms for peat moss on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. Also called bog moss. any moss, especially of the genus Sphagnum, from which peat may form.
  2. such moss after it has been dried, used chiefly as a mulch or seedbed, for acidification.
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Origin of peat moss

1225–75 for earlier sense; 1870–80 for def 1; Middle English petemos (in placename) peat bog
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for peat moss

Historical Examples

  • It is for this reason that a peat-moss is such a bad or rather an impossible soil.

    The Romance of Plant Life

    G. F. Scott Elliot

  • Then comes the chance of that wonderful moss the peat-moss, or Sphagnum.

    The Romance of Plant Life

    G. F. Scott Elliot

  • Three boats were discovered in the peat-moss at Nydam in Schleswig in 1863, by Engelhardt.

    Beowulf

    R. W. Chambers

  • He went with Macpherson, who showed the body in a peat-moss.

  • Burst and rent asunder, art thou now lying buried in a peat-moss?

British Dictionary definitions for peat moss

peat moss

noun
  1. any of various mosses, esp sphagnum, that grow in wet places in dense masses and decay to form peatAlso called: bog moss See also sphagnum
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
peat moss in Science

peat moss

  1. Any of various mosses of the genus Sphagnum, growing in very wet places, especially bogs, around the world. The leaves of peat moss have large dead cells surrounded by smaller living ones that contain chloroplasts. The walls of the dead cells are perforated and readily absorb water, up to 20 times their dry weight. The walls also contain phenol compounds that resist decay and have antiseptic properties. Peat moss releases hydrogen ions that increase the acidity of the water in bogs. Because of its ability to absorb liquids, peat moss is sometimes used as diaper material by traditional peoples and was once used in making bandages. Peat moss is now used primarily to increase the water-holding capacity of soil. Also called sphagnum See more at bog.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.