Difference between revisions of "Quagmire"
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The first element is perhaps ultimately of imitative origin, although [[compare]] earlier ''quab'' n.1 Compare also ''quaw'' n., and a large number of synonyms of quagmire with a first element of similar form, in use in the 16th and 17th centuries (see earlier ''quallmire'' The [[precise]] [[relationship]] of these to each other is not [[clear]]: all, or most, may be independent attempts to [[express]] the same idea (quake v.) | The first element is perhaps ultimately of imitative origin, although [[compare]] earlier ''quab'' n.1 Compare also ''quaw'' n., and a large number of synonyms of quagmire with a first element of similar form, in use in the 16th and 17th centuries (see earlier ''quallmire'' The [[precise]] [[relationship]] of these to each other is not [[clear]]: all, or most, may be independent attempts to [[express]] the same idea (quake v.) | ||
| − | N.E.D. (1902 ) gives the pronunciation as (kwæ·gməiəɹ) /ˈkwægmaɪə(r)/ , as do the 19th-cent. dictionaries. All editions of D. Jones Eng. Pronouncing Dict. up to the 14th (1988) give this as the main pronunciation and that with the rounded vowel of bog as an alternative. In the U.S., pronunciation with the vowel of bog is given as an alternative in [ | + | N.E.D. (1902 ) gives the pronunciation as (kwæ·gməiəɹ) /ˈkwægmaɪə(r)/ , as do the 19th-cent. dictionaries. All editions of D. Jones Eng. Pronouncing Dict. up to the 14th (1988) give this as the main pronunciation and that with the rounded vowel of bog as an alternative. In the U.S., pronunciation with the vowel of bog is given as an alternative in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webster%27s_Third_New_International_Dictionary#Webster.E2.80.99s_New_International_Dictionary_.28second_edition.2C_1934.29 Webster's New Internat. Dict. Eng. Lang. (1934)] and subsequent dictionaries. |
==Definitions== | ==Definitions== | ||
*1: soft miry [[land]] that shakes or yields under the foot | *1: soft miry [[land]] that shakes or yields under the foot | ||
*2: a [[difficult]], precarious, or entrapping position : predicament | *2: a [[difficult]], precarious, or entrapping position : predicament | ||
==Description== | ==Description== | ||
| − | *[[Water]] infused [[earth]] or a [ | + | *[[Water]] infused [[earth]] or a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bog bog]. Solid ground may turn to quagmire following substantial rainfall. |
*A [[tactical]] [[defense]] made when defending a territory close to a [[river]]. Defenders would dig [[channels]] for the river to run in & turn the [[land]] into a '''quagmire'''. | *A [[tactical]] [[defense]] made when defending a territory close to a [[river]]. Defenders would dig [[channels]] for the river to run in & turn the [[land]] into a '''quagmire'''. | ||
[[Category: General Reference]] | [[Category: General Reference]] | ||
Latest revision as of 02:37, 13 December 2020
Origin
The first element is perhaps ultimately of imitative origin, although compare earlier quab n.1 Compare also quaw n., and a large number of synonyms of quagmire with a first element of similar form, in use in the 16th and 17th centuries (see earlier quallmire The precise relationship of these to each other is not clear: all, or most, may be independent attempts to express the same idea (quake v.)
N.E.D. (1902 ) gives the pronunciation as (kwæ·gməiəɹ) /ˈkwægmaɪə(r)/ , as do the 19th-cent. dictionaries. All editions of D. Jones Eng. Pronouncing Dict. up to the 14th (1988) give this as the main pronunciation and that with the rounded vowel of bog as an alternative. In the U.S., pronunciation with the vowel of bog is given as an alternative in Webster's New Internat. Dict. Eng. Lang. (1934) and subsequent dictionaries.
Definitions
- 1: soft miry land that shakes or yields under the foot
- 2: a difficult, precarious, or entrapping position : predicament
