Quaggy

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈkwɒɡi/

Definitions

1. Soft and waterlogged, like marshy ground that yields or sinks underfoot
2. Soft and boggy, resembling land that is saturated with moisture and can easily give way under pressure
3. Marshy and spongy, indicating terrain that is wet and unstable, often causing difficulty in traversing

Etymology: Quaggy is simply quag with the adjective-forming suffix "-y" added, and it describes ground that is wet, spongy and unsteady underfoot. The base word, quag, names a quaking bog, the kind of soft earth that gives way when you step on it. Quag itself is the older word, and the "-y" ending turns that noun into a description of terrain. The suffix has a long pedigree. It goes back through Old English "-iġ", a form that appears in many native adjectives, and through Middle English "-y" to the modern English ending. Its ancestry reaches back to a Germanic form that also gave English a great many everyday adjectives, such as "stony," "snowy" and "milky," all built the same way from a noun.

Synonyms: swampy, boggy, wet, marshy, soggy

Antonyms: dry, arid, barren, solid, firm