I. ˈbäg, ˈbȯg noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: of Celtic origin; akin to Irish Gaelic & Scottish Gaelic bog soft (respectively from & akin to OIr bocc ), Scottish Gaelic boglach swamp, Irish Gaelic bogach; akin to Old English būgan to bend — more at bow
1.
a. : wet spongy ground where a heavy body is likely to sink : quagmire , morass ; especially : an inadequately drained area rich in plant residues, usually acid in reaction, frequently surrounding a body of open water, and having a characterstic flora (as of sedges, heaths, and sphagnum) — compare marsh , meadow , swamp
b. : low-lying land having a thick layer of peat
2. : land making up a bog
II. verb
( bogged ; bogged ; bogging ; bogs )
transitive verb
: to cause to sink into or as if into a bog : submerge in a bog : mire , impede : slow up
treacherous ground in which you can easily get bogged
too much pedantry bogs what might otherwise have some interest
— often used with down
the book is the result of much careful research, but it is not bogged down by it — John Gould
intransitive verb
: to become sunk in or as if in a bog : become impeded and slowed up — usually used with down
work on the new highway bogged down for lack of cement
the attack would bog down sooner or later — Norman Mailer
III. ˈbäg noun
( -s )
Etymology: short for obsolete boghouse privy, from bog to defecate (of unknown origin) + house (I)
Britain : toilet : loo