Morass — Mo*rass , n. [OE. marras, mareis (perh. through D. moeras), fr. F. marais, prob. from L. mare sea, in LL., any body of water; but perh. influenced by some German word. See {Mere} a lake, and cf. {Marsh}.] A tract of soft, wet ground; a marsh; a… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
morass — (n.) wet, swampy tract, 1650s, from Du. moeras marsh, fen, from M.Du. marasch, from O.Fr. marais marsh, from Frankish, possibly from W.Gmc. *marisk, from P.Gmc. *mariskaz like a lake, from *mari sea (see MERE (Cf. mere) (n.)). The word was… … Etymology dictionary
morass — [n] bog; mess chaos, confusion, fen, jam, jungle, knot, labyrinth, marsh, maze, mesh, mix up, muddle, quagmire, skein, snarl, swamp, tangle, web; concepts 230,509 Ant. order, organization … New thesaurus
morass — ► NOUN 1) an area of muddy or boggy ground. 2) a complicated or confused situation. ORIGIN Dutch moeras, from Latin mariscus … English terms dictionary
morass — [mə ras′, môras′] n. [Du moeras, a marsh, fen; earlier marasch < OFr maresc < Frank * marisk, a swamp, akin to MARSH] a tract of low, soft, watery ground; bog; marsh; swamp: often used figuratively of a difficult, troublesome, or perplexing … English World dictionary
morass — mo|rass [məˈræs] n [Date: 1600 1700; : Dutch; Origin: moeras, from Old French maresc] 1.) [singular] a complicated and confusing situation that is very difficult to get out of ▪ We re trying to drag the country out of its economic morass. morass… … Dictionary of contemporary English
morass — [[t]məræ̱s[/t]] morasses N COUNT: usu sing, with supp, oft N of n If you describe an unpleasant or confused situation as a morass, you mean that it seems impossible to escape from or resolve, because it has become so serious or so complicated. I… … English dictionary
morass — noun Etymology: Dutch moeras, modification of Old French maresc, of Germanic origin; akin to Old English mersc marsh more at marsh Date: 1655 1. marsh, swamp 2. a. a situation that traps, confuses, or impedes < a legal morass > b. an overwhelming … New Collegiate Dictionary
morass — n. to get bogged down in a morass * * * [mə ræs] to get bogged down in a morass … Combinatory dictionary
morass — noun 1) the muddy morass Syn: quagmire, swamp, bog, marsh, muskeg, mire, marshland, wetland, slough, moor 2) a morass of paperwork Syn: confusion, chaos … Thesaurus of popular words