peat
n. uncountablen. a dark, thick material made of rotted plants found in wet ground. People dry it out to use as fuel for fires or mix it into soil to help plants grow.
n. an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter that forms in wetlands such as bogs or moors. Often harvested for use as a domestic fuel source or as a soil conditioner in horticulture.
The gardener added peat to the soil to help the flowers grow.
In many rural parts of Ireland, families still harvest peat from the local bogs to heat their homes during the winter.
Environmentalists advocate for the protection of peatlands because these ecosystems act as massive carbon sinks, storing more carbon than all the world's forests combined.
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.
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”).
Uncountable when referring to the material; can be used as a modifier in compound nouns like 'peat bog' or 'peat fire'.