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morass

 - 3 dictionary results

mo⋅rass

  [muh-ras]
Use morass in a Sentence
–noun
1. a tract of low, soft, wet ground.
2. a marsh or bog.
3. marshy ground.
4. any confusing or troublesome situation, esp. one from which it is difficult to free oneself; entanglement.
Origin:
1645–55; < D moeras, alter. (by assoc. with moer marsh; cf. moor 1 ) of MD maras < OF mareis < Gmc. See marsh
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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mo·rass   (mə-rās', mô-)   
n.  

  1. An area of low-lying, soggy ground.

  2. Something that hinders, engulfs, or overwhelms: a morass of details.


[Dutch moeras, from Middle Dutch maras, from Old French mareis, probably of Germanic origin; see mori- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

morass 
"wet, swampy tract," 1655, from Du. moeras "marsh, fen," from M.Du. marasch, from O.Fr. marais "marsh," from Frank., possibly from W.Gmc. *marisk, from P.Gmc. *mariskaz "like a lake," from *mari "sea." The M.Du. word was infl. by Du. moer "moor" (see moor (n.)). Fig. use is attested from 1867.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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