Fen

/fɛn/ · noun

Meaning

A type of wetland fed by ground water and runoff, containing peat below the waterline, characteristically alkaline..

Definitions by Sense

1. A type of wetland fed by ground water and runoff, containing peat below the waterline, characteristically alkaline.
2. (loosely) Any swamp or mire (especially with negative connotations).
3. A unit of currency in China, one-hundredth of a yuan.
4. (fandom slang) a plural of fan used by enthusiasts of science fiction, fantasy, and anime, partly from whimsy and partly to distinguish themselves from fans of sport, etc.
5. (furry fandom, Internet slang, informal) A fennec fox.
6. (obsolete) Used in children's games to prevent or forestall another player's action; a check or bar.
7. (obsolete) A kind of mildew that grows on hops.

Example Sentences

Near-synonyms: marsh, swamp, bog, mire

Bogs are acidic, nutrient poor, and have a low species diversity, whereas fens are less acidic and have higher nutrient levels and species diversity.

Bogs are acidic peatlands, while fens are non-acidic peatlands.

[...] fens are alkaline. In fact, the precise acidity of a fen depends on the soil through which in-seeping waters have percolated. Northeastern fens vary from somewhat acidic to highly basic (Johnson, 1985, p. 27).

Milton! thou shouldst be living at this hour: / England hath need of thee: she is a fen / Of stagnant waters […]

In dark fens of the Dismal Swamp / The hunted Negro lay; …

Caliban: As wicked dewe, as ere my mother bruſh'd / With Rauens feather from vnwholeſome Fen / Drop on you both : A Southweſt blow on yee, / And bliſter you all ore.

As the sob of the breeze/Sweeps over the trees/And the mists lie low on the fen...

Synonyms for fen

Antonyms for fen

Related Words

Word Forms

• fens
• fen

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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