quagmire

quag-mire · noun

imported

Definitions

noun

  1. 1.

    A soft, wet area of ground that gives way underfoot; a bog or marsh.

  2. 2.

    [figurative]A difficult, complex, or dangerous situation from which it is hard to escape.

Forms

plural: quagmires

Related words

See also: bog, marsh, predicament, swamp
Synonyms: bog, predicament, swamp

Etymology

From quag (dialectal variant of quake, meaning "to shake") + mire ("swampy ground"). First recorded in the 16th century.