Peat

Peat
Peat Peat, n. [Prob. for beat, prop., material used to make the fire burn better, fr. AS. b?tan to better, mend (a fire), b?t advantage. See {Better}, {Boot} advantage.] A substance of vegetable origin, consisting of roots and fibers, moss, etc., in various stages of decomposition, and found, as a kind of turf or bog, usually in low situations, where it is always more or less saturated with water. It is often dried and used for fuel. [1913 Webster]

{Peat bog}, a bog containing peat; also, peat as it occurs in such places; peat moss.

{Peat moss}. (a) The plants which, when decomposed, become peat. (b) A fen producing peat. (c) (Bot.) Moss of the genus {Sphagnum}, which often grows abundantly in boggy or peaty places.

{Peat reek}, the reek or smoke of peat; hence, also, the peculiar flavor given to whisky by being distilled with peat as fuel. [Scot.] [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • Peat — is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter. Peat forms in wetlands or peatlands , variously called bogs , moors , muskegs , pocosins , mires , and peat swamp forests . By volume there is about 4 trillion m³ of peat in the world… …   Wikipedia

  • peat — peat; peat·ery; peat·man; re·peat·abil·i·ty; re·peat·able; re·peat·er; re·peat; re·peat·ed·ly; …   English syllables

  • Peat —   Peat consists of partially decomposed plant debris. It is considered an early stage in the development of coal. Peat is distinguished from lignite by the presence of free cellulose and a high moisture content (exceeding 70 percent). The heat… …   Energy terms

  • peat|y — «PEE tee», adjective, peat|i|er, peat|i|est. of, like, or abounding in peat: »A thin seam of peaty matter…along the bottom of a bed of clay (James Croll) …   Useful english dictionary

  • Peat — Peat, n. [Cf. {Pet} a fondling.] A small person; a pet; sometimes used contemptuously. [Obs.] Shak. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • peat|er|y — «PEE tuhr ee», noun, plural er|ies. a place from which peat is dug …   Useful english dictionary

  • peat — [pi:t] n [Date: 1300 1400; : Medieval Latin; Origin: peta, probably from a Celtic language] [U] a black substance formed from decaying plants under the surface of the ground in some areas, which can be burned as a ↑fuel, or mixed with soil to… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • peat — [ pit ] noun uncount a type of soil consisting of decaying plants that can also be used as fuel …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • peat — c.1200, in Scottish L., probably from O.Celt. root *pett (Cf. Cornish peyth, Welsh peth quantity, part, thing, O.Ir. pet, Breton pez piece ). The earliest sense is not of the turf but of the cut piece of it …   Etymology dictionary

  • peat — ► NOUN ▪ partly decomposed vegetable matter forming a deposit on acidic, boggy ground, dried for use in gardening and as fuel. DERIVATIVES peaty adjective. ORIGIN Anglo Latin peta …   English terms dictionary

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