fenland

From Middle English fenlond, from Old English fenland, equivalent to fen +‎ land. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Foanlound (“moorland”), West Frisian feanlân (“peat bog”), Dutch veenland (“peat bog”), Middle Low German vēnlant, vennelant (“swampy, boggy pastureland”).

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fenland (countable and uncountable, plural fenlands)

1. A kind of low-lying ground, often wet or marshy.
   • 1958 August, “Closing of the Midland & Great Northern Line”, in Railway Magazine, pages 525-526:

     It is this duplication of facilities which is mainly responsible for the poor loadings experienced on the Midland & Great Northern line, apart, of course, from the general sparsity of traffic in Northern Norfolk, and the fenlands around the Wash.

• “fenland”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

From Proto-West Germanic *faniland, *fannjaland, equivalent to fen (“marsh”) +‎ land (“land”). Cognate with Old Frisian fenland, fenlond, feneland, fenelond, fenneland, fennelond (“pastureland”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈfenˌlɑnd/

fenland n

1. fenland, marshy land

Strong a-stem:

• Middle English: fenlond (attested as a surname)
  • English: fenland