muskeg

Where does the word "muskeg" come from? It comes from Cree maskek, and was adopted directly into English (1800s).

Muskeg’s story begins in Cree: maskek meant “a swamp or bog.” A low-lying, waterlogged area of peat and moss found across the subarctic. It reached English by 1800s as muskeg. Cree 'maskek', swamp; covers large parts of northern Canada. Today, muskeg means a waterlogged, peat-forming bog found in subarctic and northern regions.

1. Stage 1 · Cree · 1800s maskek "a swamp or bog", a low-lying, waterlogged area of peat and moss found across the subarctic.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1800s muskeg "a waterlogged, mossy bog of the subarctic", Cree 'maskek', swamp; covers large parts of northern Canada.