Muskeg
/ˈmʌskɛɡ/noun
A bog, swamp, or wet peatland, especially in northern North America.
Did you know?Muskeg entered English from Cree or Ojibwe, where it referred to a boggy, peat-filled ground; it’s a reminder that some of the most haunting place-words in English came directly from Indigenous languages.
Etymological Timeline
Cree/Ojibwe
Algonquian
*maskek*
“bog; swamp; wet ground”
18th-19th Century
English
muskeg
“a boggy, swampy tract of land in northern regions”
Modern English
English
muskeg
“a peat-rich wetland or bog, especially in Canada and Alaska”
Modern English
English
muskegs
“plural form of muskeg”