: low land that is covered wholly or partly with water unless artificially drained and that usually has peaty alkaline soil and characteristic flora (as of sedges and reeds)
plural fen
a monetary subunit of the yuan see yuan at Money Table

Examples of fen in a Sentence

Noun (1) a day spent trudging through the fens in quest of game birds
Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
Earth’s earliest wildfires may have been fitful and erratic, flickering among the amphibious flora of fens and bogs. Ferris Jabr, The Atlantic, 25 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English fenn; akin to Old High German fenna fen, Sanskrit paṅka mud

Noun (2)

Chinese (Beijing) fēn

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1916, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fen was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near fen

Cite this Entry

“Fen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fen. Accessed 3 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

fen

noun
ˈfen
: low land covered wholly or partly by water

Geographical Definition

Fen

geographical name

river 300 miles (483 kilometers) long in northern China in central Shanxi flowing south-southeast into the Huang River

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