marsh

The word “marsh” means a low-lying area of wet, spongy ground, usually covered in grasses and reeds rather than trees. In plain terms, soggy, grassy ground that sits between dry land and open water.

“Marsh” is pronounced mahsh (/mɑɹʃ/ in IPA).

Here is “marsh” used in a sentence: “Herons stalked frogs at the edge of the marsh.”

“Marsh” is a noun.

The word “marsh” comes from Old English. From Old English mersc, related to "mere" (a lake or body of water) — a marsh is essentially land that never fully dries out.

“Marsh” is a fairly common word in modern English.

Both are wetlands, but a marsh is dominated by grasses, reeds, and other soft-stemmed plants, while a swamp is characterized by trees and woody shrubs. In short, marshes are grassy and open, whereas swamps are wooded.

A marsh is fed by surface or ground water and supports grasses and reeds on wet, spongy ground, whereas a bog accumulates peat and is typically acidic and low in nutrients, often supporting mosses. Marshes are grassy and mineral-rich; bogs are peaty and acidic.

Both are grassy wetlands, but a fen is fed mainly by mineral-rich ground water and is less acidic, while marsh is the broader term for low-lying, wet, grassy ground. Fens and marshes can look alike, but a fen has a specific water source and chemistry.

Wetland is the general category for any land saturated with water, including marshes, swamps, bogs, and fens. A marsh is one specific type of wetland: low-lying, wet ground covered in grasses and reeds rather than trees.