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swamp

(swŏmp, swômp)

a. An area of low-lying land that is frequently flooded, especially one dominated by woody plants.

b. A lowland region saturated with water.

2. A situation or place fraught with difficulties and imponderables: a financial swamp.

v. swamped, swamp·ing, swamps

v.tr.

1. To drench in or cover with or as if with water.

2. To inundate or burden; overwhelm: She was swamped with work.

3. Nautical To fill (a ship or boat) with water to the point of sinking it.

v.intr.

To become full of water or sink.

[Perhaps of Low German origin .]

swampi·ness n.

swampy adj.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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