peat
English · Thesaurus
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peat¹
- /piːt/ UK, US
Sounds like Pete · Rhymes with -iːt
Where it comes from
Inherited from Northern Middle English pete (recorded in Latin text as peta), of uncertain origin; perhaps from a Celtic language such as an unattested Pictish or Brythonic source, in turn possibly from Proto-Brythonic *peθ (“portion, segment, piece”); if so, it would be a doublet of piece.
noun peats
- Soil formed of dead but not fully decayed plants found in bog areas, often burned as fuel. On the return journey the engine ran short of coal, and came to a stand near Penygroes through shortage of steam. Fortunately, there was some peat in a nearby field, which the enginemen dug and the directors helped to carry to the engine. Steam was soon raised and the story had a happy ending!
peat²
Where it comes from
Probably from Middle Dutch pete (“godmother or godfather”) (modern Dutch peet (“godparent, old woman, grandmother; godchild”)), related to dialectal German Pfette, Pfetter (“godfather; godchild”)), German Pate (“godfather, sponsor”), Patin (“godmother”). Or alternatively, related to pet (“a favourite”).
noun peats
- A pet, a darling; a woman. And let it not displease thee, good Bianca, / For I will love thee ne'er the less, my girl. / A pretty peat!
Peat³
Where it comes from
From a Middle English pet-form of Peter.
proper noun
- A surname transferred from the given name.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: peatland, ombrogenous, bog, fen, mire, compost, sod, turf, fuel, timber, muck, sphagnum, moss, crowd, mob, aep
Translations
Talk about this word "peat." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/peat. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. peat. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/peat "peat." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/peat.Cite this
@misc{peat_2026,
title = {peat},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/peat},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
