noun
slough
A low, wet area of muddy ground or slow-moving water.
Ducks paddle through the slough beside the river each morning.
Etymology
Old English slōh means a muddy or marshy place. The modern landscape sense preserves that low, wet ground or sluggish water.
More examples
- Our boots sink into the mud along the slough.
- Heavy rain fills the sloughs across the pasture.
- Tall reeds line the edges of the quiet slough.
Forms
slough · sloughs
Similar words
- marsh
- Emphasizes wet ground covered with grasses or reeds.
- swamp
- Usually describes wetland dominated by trees or shrubs.
- backwater
- Specifically describes quiet water away from a river's main current.