wetland
n.an area of land that is always or often covered by water. These places, like marshes or swamps, are important for many plants and animals.
n.an ecosystem characterized by land that is saturated with or submerged under water, either permanently or seasonally. Often used in environmental and ecological contexts to describe marshes, bogs, and swamps.
“The local wetland is home to many rare birds.”
“Environmentalists are working to protect the coastal wetland from being drained for new housing developments.”
“Restoring the natural wetland acts as a biological filter, significantly improving water quality while providing a critical buffer against seasonal flooding in the surrounding valley.”
Often used in the plural ('wetlands') when referring to a large geographic area or a specific environmental system.
“That's the gap we wanted to fill." To investigate, the team turned to Kushiro, Japan's largest wetland and its first Ramsar site.”
“However, the rich resources of the northern wetlands were more suited to the lifestyle practised by hunter-gatherers.”
From wet + land. Cognate with West Frisian wetlân.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.