muskeg

English

Etymology

From Cree ᒪᐢᑫᐠ (maskek).

Pronunciation

• (Canada, General American, UK) IPA^(key): /ˈmʌskɛɡ/

Noun

muskeg (countable and uncountable, plural muskegs)

1. (Canada) A terrain composed of peat bog with tussocky meadow and woody vegetation including spruce.
   • 1952, Farley Mowat, People of the Deer, Key Porter, published 2005, page 2:

     Here, in a decaying cluster of buildings, the Winnipeg train turns gratefully back to the south and hurries to leave behind it the anonymous tangle of forests and muskegs.

   • 1959 March, “New Railways in Quebec”, in Railway Magazine, page 202:

     Work on the muskeg resulted in the formation in the first instance, and later in lengths of newly-laid track disappearing without trace into the treacherous bog.

Derived terms

• muskeggy