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marsh

marsh

64 2.6
A low, wet area with grasses and reeds near water
  • noun
  • /mɑrʃ/
translation icon : marisma
  • Birds often nest in the reeds that grow along the edge of the marsh.
  • salt marsh
  • freshwater marsh
  • marsh habitat

White egret jutting out of the marsh where cattle leave little to the earth.

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Examples

  • The city was protected by strong high walls as well as marshes on three sides.

  • If they reached the marsh soon enough, the fog would close in and hide them.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • It's a great way to see the whole marsh from above.

  • It's a flat salt marsh!

  • Ours is an island of forests and marshes.

  • As this new information became available, the HCD approach toward permitting marsh management projects became more conservative.

    Academic text (1992)
  • White egret jutting out of the marsh where cattle leave little to the earth.

  • A remnant of a once vast freshwater marsh system, it is surrounded by roads and development.

    Academic text (1999)
  • During the early stages of shrimp growth, marshes and shallow bay areas serve as nursery grounds.

    Academic text (1992)
  • Even the local lads wouldn't venture far into the marsh when the fog was thick.

    Fiction book (1991)

Synonyms

wetland
vsmarsh
68 3.5

An area of land that is always or sometimes wet and has water plants and animals

is a narrower grass and reed transition area rather than all saturated ecosystems
marshland
vsmarsh
8 3.9

Low wet land with grass near rivers or lakes

is the simpler single word form used in common speech
salt marsh
vsmarsh
3 4.4

A low coastal area flooded by seawater where plants can live in salty water

is the general transition area not limited to coastal salt flooding
fen
vsmarsh
2 8.5

A low, wet area of land with grass that often lies between land and water

emphasizes reeds as well as grasses rather than grasses alone
fenland
vsmarsh
8.2

A low, wet area with tall grasses and standing water

focuses on a single wet area rather than a broader region
merse
vsmarsh
  • Archaic
9.9

Low wet land near a river where plants grow

is the common general term rather than a regional or dated label

Compounds

3 4.4

A low coastal area flooded by seawater where plants can live in salty water

marsh gas
  • Specialized
1 3.4

A gas that forms in swamps when plants rot and can burn

1 9.9

A plant that lives many years and grows in wet open land with bright blue funnel-shaped flowers

1 6.7

A plant that grows in wet places with bright yellow flowers like buttercups

A tall annual plant that grows in wet rich soil and causes skin and pollen allergies

8.9

A plant that grows in salt marshes and has small pale purple or white flowers

A small songbird with a long bill that lives in tall reeds in marshes

marsh bellflower
  • Specialized
8.8

A small white bell-shaped flower with narrow leaves that grows in marshes

8.6

A vehicle with big wheels and a high body for driving over marshes

marsh clematis
  • Specialized
9.9

A climbing plant with bluish-purple flowers that grows in wet ground

marsh cress
  • Specialized
7.7

A plant that grows in wet places and is eaten in salads and sometimes removed as a weed

marsh elder
  • Specialized
9.1

A rough bush that grows in wet places and has small green flowers

9.9

A plant that lives many years in wet mountain places with blue or violet flowers

marsh fern
  • Specialized
7.0

A fern with deeply divided leaves that grows in wet places like marshes

A small evergreen bush with pink or white hanging flowers that grows in acidic wet bogs

marsh hare
  • Specialized
8.5

A small rabbit that lives in wet coastal marshes in the southeastern United States

7.8

A large thin bird of prey that hunts over marshes and reeds

8.2

A flowering plant with purple or pink flowers that grows in wet meadows

8.4

A plant that grows again every year in damp marshes with purple flowers

9.7

A plant with pink flowers that grows in wet marshes

A plant that grows in soft wet ground like a reed or cattail

A plant with spikes of white or light purple flowers that grows in salt marshes

marsh St-John's wort
  • Specialized
9.9

A plant that lives for many years in marshes in the southeastern United States with pink to pale purple flowers

marsh hawk
  • Specialized
8.1

A bird that nests in marshes and flies low to hunt small animals

marsh hen
  • Specialized
7.7

A small bird that lives in marshes, like the American coot

A common plant that grows in marshes with thin green stems

marsh light
  • Literature
9.9

A faint mysterious light that appears over wet ground at night

8.0

A wild plant with soft leaves and pale pink flowers that grows in wetlands

A wetland plant with pink flower clusters that attract bees and butterflies

9.9

A small bush with strong-smelling leaves that grows in bogs

9.9

A plant with leaves divided into three small parts and white or light purple flowers that grows at water edges

8.6

A small songbird that lives in marshes and sings a loud bubbling song

9.0

A plant with daisy-like flowers that lives in salt marshes and comes back each year

A plant with pink or white flowers that grows in salty wet ground

A small North American bird with a short bill that lives in wet meadows

How Wet

bog
33 4.9
swamp
226 1.9
marsh
64 2.6
meadow
85 1.0

Surface Forms

marsh singular
marshes plural

Etymology

Marsh comes from an old English word mersc that meant 'marsh' or 'bog', so it has long meant low, wet land often full of grasses, reeds, and birds.