Wetland

How to spell wetland

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce wetland

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does wetland mean?

1. nounAn area of land where the soil is saturated with water, such as a marsh, bog, or swamp.

Wetland in a sentence

• The nature reserve protects a coastal wetland rich in birdlife.

• Developers were refused permission to drain the wetland for housing.

Where does wetland come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This is a transparent compound built from two native Old English words: 'wet', from Old English 'waet' meaning soaked or moist, and 'land', from Old English 'land' meaning ground or country. Both elements trace back to common Germanic roots, with 'wet' related to words for water and 'land' having close relatives across the Germanic languages such as German 'Land'. Although both halves are ancient, the joined form 'wetland' is relatively modern, appearing in the late nineteenth century and becoming common in twentieth-century scientific and conservation writing to describe marshes, bogs, and similar waterlogged ground. The spelling holds no surprises because each part is spelled exactly as the everyday word is, with no doubling or hidden letters where they meet.

How the word is built

• wet (saturated, soaked)
• land (ground)