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Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. Any of various pale or ashy mosses of the genus Sphagnum, the decomposed remains of which form peat.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. A genus of mosses, the peat- or bog-mosses, the only representative of the order Sphagnaceæ. For characters, see Sphagnaceæ. The plants of this genus are widely diffused over the temperate parts of the globe, and enter largely into the composition of peat. There are about 25 North American species and many varieties or forms, about the validity of which the best authorities differ widely. The most divergent forms may be distinguished by well-marked characters, but these seem to merge into one another by a complete series of connecting links. See peat, peat.-moss, Bryaceæ.
  2. n. A mass or quantity of moss of this genus: often used attributively; as, sphagnum moss; a sphagnum. bog.

Wiktionary

  1. n. Any of various widely distributed mosses, of the genus Sphagnum, which slowly decompose to form peat.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. (Bot.) A genus of mosses having white leaves slightly tinged with red or green and found growing in marshy places; bog moss; peat moss.

WordNet 3.0

  1. n. any of various pale or ashy mosses of the genus Sphagnum whose decomposed remains form peat

Etymologies

  1. New Latin, from Latin sphagnos, a kind of moss, from Greek, a kind of shrub. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

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Comments

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  • chained_bear Agreed. I like sphagnum as well, but it does sound like some bizarre, but named, curve in the human intestine. Oct 25, 2007

  • reesetee Squelchy. What a great word. Oct 25, 2007

  • sionnach Isn't sphagnum that word that has something to do with frog-tossing? Guess not. Oct 25, 2007

  • yarb A supremely squelchy word - just like the sound it makes when you plant a boot in it. Oct 24, 2007

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‘sphagnum’ has been looked up 1438 times, added to 18 lists, commented on 4 times, and has a Scrabble score of 16.