adj · name · noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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General-American, Received-Pronunciation:/ˈfɛni/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -ɛni
1
adj
Meaning 1
Characteristic of or resembling a fen (“characteristically alkaline wetland containing peat below the waterline”); marshy, swampy; also, of land: containing a fen or fens.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From Middle English fenny, fenni (“marshy, muddy; of meat: putrid, rotten; of a person: sinful, vile”), from Old English fenniġ (“dirty; marshy, muddy, fenny”), from fen, fenn (“marsh, fen; mud”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pen- (“moist, wet; mud; swamp; water”)) + -iġ (suffix forming adjectives). The English word is analysable as fen + -y (suffix meaning ‘having the quality of’ forming adjectives).
Across languages
Translations
17 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
блатист
(blatist)
— characteristic of or resembling a fen; of land: containing a fen or fens — see also marshy, swampy
Bulgarian:
мочурлив
(močurliv)
— characteristic of or resembling a fen; of land: containing a fen or fens — see also marshy, swampy
Finnish:
lettoinen
— characteristic of or resembling a fen; of land: containing a fen or fens — see also marshy, swampy
German:
moorig
— characteristic of or resembling a fen; of land: containing a fen or fens — see also marshy, swampy
Irish:
riascánta
— characteristic of or resembling a fen; of land: containing a fen or fens — see also marshy, swampy
Latin:
palūdōsus
— characteristic of or resembling a fen; of land: containing a fen or fens — see also marshy, swampy
Macedonian:
мо́чурлив
(móčurliv)
— characteristic of or resembling a fen; of land: containing a fen or fens — see also marshy, swampy
Macedonian:
мочу́риштен
(močúrišten)
— characteristic of or resembling a fen; of land: containing a fen or fens — see also marshy, swampy
Middle English:
fenni
— characteristic of or resembling a fen; of land: containing a fen or fens — see also marshy, swampy
Middle English:
fenny
— characteristic of or resembling a fen; of land: containing a fen or fens — see also marshy, swampy
Old English:
fenlīċ
— characteristic of or resembling a fen; of land: containing a fen or fens — see also marshy, swampy
Old English:
fenniġ
— characteristic of or resembling a fen; of land: containing a fen or fens — see also marshy, swampy
Russian:
боло́тистый
(bolótistyj)
— characteristic of or resembling a fen; of land: containing a fen or fens — see also marshy, swampy
Russian:
боло́тный
(bolótnyj)
— characteristic of or resembling a fen; of land: containing a fen or fens — see also marshy, swampy
Russian:
то́пкий
(tópkij)
— characteristic of or resembling a fen; of land: containing a fen or fens — see also marshy, swampy
