quag

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English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Uncertain.[1][2] Most often suggested to be an alteration of Middle English quabbe (a marsh, bog), from Old English *cwabbe (that which shakes or trembles, something soft and flabby), from Proto-West Germanic *kwabbā (soggy ground); this is supported by 1590s attestations of quabmire for quagmire (other earlier variants are quamire, from the 1550s, and quavemire from the 1520s).[3] It has alternatively been suggested to be related to quake, as quaggy ground quakes when trod.[2]

Pronunciation

Noun

quag (plural quags)

  1. (obsolete) Quagmire; marsh; bog.
    • 1771 December 16, John Walker, Account of the Irruption of Solway Moss:
      If a person ventures on one of these quags, it bends in waves under his feet; and if the surface breaks, he is in danger of sinking to the bottom.
    • 1784, William Cowper, Tirocinium; or, a Review of Schools:
      Crooked or straight, through quags or thorny dells

References

  1. ^ quag”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
  2. 2.0 2.1 quag”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
  3. ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “quag”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.