Sphagnous
/ˈsfæɡ.nəs/noun
Relating to or resembling sphagnum moss.
Did you know?Sphagnum moss can acidify and oxygen-starve bogs, slowing decomposition so remarkably that Iron Age human remains—known as bog bodies—have survived for millennia.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
σφάγνος (sphágnos)
“A name for a moss or bog plant; the precise original sense is uncertain.”
Ancient Latin
Latin
sphagnos
“A moss, borrowed from Greek botanical vocabulary.”
18th Century
New Latin
Sphagnum
“The botanical genus name for peat-forming mosses.”
18th–19th Century
Scientific English
sphagnous
“Of, relating to, or resembling Sphagnum moss.”
Modern English
English
sphagnous
“Describing something associated with sphagnum, especially a bog, soil, or vegetation.”
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