morass

== English == === Etymology === From Dutch moeras (“marsh, swamp”), an alteration (with influence from Dutch moer (“moor”)) of a direct descendant of Middle Dutch marasch (“marsh”). The Middle Dutch word is a borrowing from Old French mareis, from Proto-West Germanic *marisk. Doublet of marish and marsh, and linked in part to moor. Compare quagmire. === Pronunciation === (General American) IPA(key): /məˈɹæs/, /moˈɹæs/ Rhymes: -æs === Noun === morass (plural morasses) A tract of soft, wet ground; a marsh; a fen. (figurative) Anything that entraps or makes progress difficult. ==== Derived terms ==== morass-ore morass-weed morassy ==== Translations ====