quagmire
Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary
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[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
Recorded since 1579, from two virtual synonyms: obsolete quag (“‘bog, marsh’”) (a variant of Middle English quabbe (“‘a marsh, bog’”), from Old English *cwabba (“‘shake, tremble like something soft and flabby’”); cognate with Dutch kwab) + mire (from Middle English, from Old Norse mýrr, akin to Old English mōs (“‘marsh’”) and English moss). The sense "difficult situation, inextricable position" is recorded since 1775.[1]
Alternative: Apparently a var. of the earlier quakemire < quake + mire.[2]
[edit] Pronunciation
[edit] Noun
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Singular |
Plural |
quagmire (plural quagmires)
- A swampy, soggy area of ground.
- That quagmire regularly 'swallows' caught-up hikers' boots
- (figuratively) A perilous, mixed up and troubled situation; a hopeless tangle; a predicament.
- The paperwork got lost in a quagmire of bureaucracy.
- Those election results are a quagmire for any coalition except one of national union
[edit] Synonyms
[edit] Translations
swampy, soggy area
a perilous, mixed up and troubled situation
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked
[edit] References
- Notes:
- ^ “quagmire” in the Online Etymology Dictionary, Douglas Harper, 2001
- ^ quagmire in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
- quagmire at OneLook® Dictionary Search
