sphagnum

American

[sfag-nuhm] / ˈsfæg nəm /

noun

any soft moss of the genus Sphagnum, occurring chiefly in bogs, used for potting and packing plants, for dressing wounds, etc.

sphagnum British

/ ˈsfæɡnəm /

noun

Also called: peat moss, bog moss. any moss of the genus Sphagnum, of temperate bogs, having leaves capable of holding much water: layers of these mosses decay to form peat

"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

sphagnum Scientific

/ sfăg′nəm /

See peat moss

Other Word Forms

sphagnous

adjective

Etymology

Origin of sphagnum

1745–55; < New Latin, alteration of Greek sphágnos a moss

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.

See Examples For:

sphagnum

The hero of bog creation, Ms. Turetsky relates, is sphagnum moss, one of nature’s most efficient sponges.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

This included persuading the War Office of the benefits of using sphagnum moss for wound dressings.

From BBC ● Dec. 29, 2025

To explore potential targets for treatment-shortening strategies, Malhotra and colleagues turned to sphagnum peat bogs.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 3, 2024

And in peat bogs, the acid in sphagnum moss puts soft tissue through a tanning process that often preserves brain tissue.

From Science Magazine ● Mar. 19, 2024

He bandaged the wound with sphagnum moss and strips of deer hide.

From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023