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REFERENCE

swamp

n. · v.
US //ˈswɑmp// UK //swˈɒmp// swamp
  1. 1 wetland (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Science

    an area of very wet, soft land where many trees and plants grow.

    an area of low-lying, uncultivated ground where water collects; specifically a forested wetland as opposed to a marsh.

    Example

    The hikers had to be careful not to get their boots stuck in the muddy swamp.

    Example

    The coastal swamp provides a vital habitat for various reptile species, though its dense vegetation makes it nearly impassable for humans.
  2. 2 political corruption (n.)
    C1 Advanced American English Informal Politics

    a word used to describe a government system that is seen as dishonest or slow.

    a metaphorical term for entrenched bureaucracy, cronyism, or perceived corruption within a capital city's political establishment.

    Example

    The candidate promised to clean up the swamp in the capital if he won the election.

    Example

    Populist rhetoric often employs the image of a swamp to characterise the federal government as a stagnant pool of self-serving interests.

    Teacher's tip

    This sense is highly politically charged and often used as a slogan; learners should be aware of its partisan connotations in American discourse.
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  1. 3 to overwhelm (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to give someone so much work or information that they cannot deal with it all.

    to overwhelm or submerge someone with an excessive amount of something, such as tasks or enquiries.

    Example

    The small shop was swamped with orders after their product went viral online.

    Example

    The customer service department was completely swamped by complaints following the unexpected server outage on Tuesday morning.

    Usage

    Commonly used in the passive voice: 'to be swamped with' or 'to be swamped by'.
Origin

Early attestations (starting in 1624) are from North America, but the term was probably in local use in Britain earlier. The etymology is not entirely certain; it is probably a fusion of Middle English swam (“swamp, muddy pool, bog, marsh”, also “fungus, mushroom”) — from Old English swamm (“mushroom, fungus, sponge”), from Proto-West Germanic swamm, from Proto-Germanic swambaz, swammaz — and Middle English sompe (“marsh, morass”), from either Middle Dutch somp, sump (“marsh, swamp”) or Middle Low German sump (“marsh, swamp”) (from Old Saxon sump (“swamp, marsh”)), both from Proto-West Germanic sump, from Proto-Germanic sumpaz. Swambaz, swammaz and *sumpaz are likely related to each other, but it is unclear whether they are of Indo-European origin or are substrate words or wanderworts. The word has alternatively been suggested to be a borrowing from Dutch zwamp (“swamp, marsh, fen”). Other cognates include Middle Low German swamp (“sponge, mushroom”), Dutch zomp (“swamp, lake, marshy place”), German Low German Sump (“swamp, bog, marsh”), German Sumpf (“swamp”), Swedish sump (“swamp”). Related also to Dutch zwam (“fungus, punk, tinder”), German Schwamm (“mushroom, fungus, sponge”), Swedish svamp (“mushroom, fungus, sponge”), Icelandic svampur, sveppur (“fungus”), Gothic 𐍃𐍅𐌿𐌼𐍃𐌻 (swumsl, “a ditch”). Related to sump, swim.

Word family

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