Fenny

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈfɛni/

Definitions

1. Of, relating to, or resembling a marshy area with soft muddy ground and shallow water
2. Pertaining to regions characterized by marshy terrain and soggy ground that support diverse wetland life
3. Characterized by or associated with low-lying, swampy land that often becomes saturated and boggy throughout the year

Etymology: Fenny is one of those words whose older senses have nearly vanished. In Middle English it could describe meat that had gone putrid or a person who was sinful and vile, not merely a damp field. Those meanings grew from the same root as the modern sense, because the Old English adjective "fenniġ" meant dirty as well as marshy and muddy, and the mud was where all the rot and filth collected. The word is built from "fen," an Old English noun for marsh or mud, which goes back to a very old root meaning wet or water. Adding the suffix "-y," which forms adjectives meaning having the quality of something, gives the sense of wet, boggy ground. The Old English form ended in a different suffix, "-iġ," but the two serve the same purpose.

Synonyms: marshy, wetland

Antonyms: dry, arid