| 释义 |
swamp
I. \ˈswamp\ adjective
Etymology: Middle English (Scots) swampe distended, swollen, hollow
chiefly Scotland : thin, slender
II. \ˈswämp, -wȯmp\ noun
(-s)
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: alteration (probably influenced by Low German swampen to quake & Middle High German swamp sponge, fungus) of Middle English sompe swamp, from Middle Dutch somp morass, pool; akin to Middle High German sumpf marsh, Old English swamm sponge, fungus, Old High German swamp sponge, Old Norse svöppr, Gothic swamms sponge, Greek somphos spongy, porous
1.
a. : wet spongy land saturated and sometimes partially or intermittently covered with water : water-logged imperfectly drained land unsuitable for agriculture without artificial drainage; especially : such land supporting a natural vegetation predominantly of shrubs and trees and often intergrading into grassy marsh on the one hand and wet forest on the other — compare bog
b. : a tract of swamp
2. : a low spot in a coal deposit — compare sump
III. verb
(-ed/-ing/-s)
transitive verb
1. : to fill with or as if with water : inundate, submerge
< the boat would probably be swamped as soon as it hit the water — R.S.Porteous >
< the land is completely swamped by a mantle of ice — H.I.Drever & P.J.Wyllie >
2.
a. : to swallow up : overwhelm numerically or by an excess of something : engulf, flood
< the creation of sufficient peers to swamp the opposition in the Lords — K.B.Smellie >
< he was swamped in misgivings — Marcia Davenport >
< suddenly swamped with orders — Harry Levine >
< songs and slogans … swamped the country — Dorothy B. Goebel >
b. : to beat decisively or destroy completely : defeat, ruin
< the sailors swamped the Springhill squad 13-6 — Crowsnest >
< an organization of saboteurs … was promptly swamped before it could get going — R.E.Danielson >
3.
a. : to clear out; especially : to open a passageway by removing underbrush or trees
< by ox-sled in the summer of 1824, swamping a road as he came — American Guide Series: New Hampshire >
— usually used with out
< crews … swamped out small landing strips by hand so that larger planes could come in with grading equipment — H.W.Richardson >
b. : to trim off the branches of (a felled tree) to facilitate skidding : limb
intransitive verb
: to become inundated or submerged : flood, sink
< ore ships will be filled with sea water until they nearly swamp — Newsweek >
< a wild-sage smell swamps in through doors and windows — H.W.Stoke >
Synonyms: see overpower
IV. noun
: a difficult or troublesome situation or object |