swamp
意味一覧 (2件)
沼地
解説 Definition
森林や川沿いなどに広がる、樹木を含む湿地帯を表す名詞。地理・生態系・動物の生息地の説明で使われやすく、季節的なぬかるみではなく、一定の広さをもつ自然環境として捉える語。
A swamp is a large wetland area with very wet ground and standing water, often found near forests or rivers. Unlike a temporary muddy place, it is usually understood as a natural environment that covers a certain area. The word is often used when talking about geography, ecosystems, and places where animals live. Swamps are especially known for having trees or thick bushes growing in the water.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
この swamp は habitat と結び付けて覚えるとよい。cypress trees, birds, insects, alligators などが暮らす、暑く湿った低地の生態系をイメージする。marsh は草の湿地、bog は酸性で泥炭の多い湿地を指すことがあり、swamp は木や茂みを含む点が目印。地図、自然番組、環境説明に出る「場所の種類」として押さえる。
Remember swamp together with habitat. Picture a hot, wet lowland where cypress trees, birds, insects, and alligators live. A marsh is more grassy, and a bog is often more acidic and rich in peat, but a swamp usually has trees or bushes. Think of it as the name of a natural place you might see on a map or in a nature program.
例文
Many birds and insects live in the swamp near the river.
川の近くの沼地には多くの鳥や昆虫が生息している。
The documentary showed an alligator moving slowly through the swamp.
そのドキュメンタリーは、ワニが沼地をゆっくり進む様子を映していた。
Cypress trees can grow well in a warm, shallow swamp.
ラクウショウの木は、暖かく浅い沼地でよく育つ。
水浸しにする、手に負えなくさせる
(意味 2)解説 Definition
水・仕事・情報・依頼などが一気に押し寄せ、対象を覆ったり処理不能にしたりする動詞。道路が水浸しになる物理的状況から、担当者が業務に埋もれる比喩まで幅広く使う。
To swamp means to flood something with water or to cover it so much that it cannot work properly. It can also mean to overwhelm someone with too much work, information, or demand. In everyday use, the figurative meaning is very common.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
動詞の swamp は「沼のように覆って動けなくする」と考える。storm swamped the town なら水が町を覆い、be swamped with calls なら電話が多すぎて対応が止まる状態。flood は流入量の多さ、overwhelm は心理的な圧倒にも広く使うが、swamp には足元を奪われて機能しなくなる感じが残る。名詞の沼地から比喩へ伸びた用法。
Think of a swamp as a place where too much water makes movement hard. That image helps with `be swamped with emails/work`, where too much comes at once and you cannot handle it well. It is stronger and more flood-like than a simple `busy`.
例文
Heavy rain swamped the streets, making travel impossible.
激しい雨で道路が水浸しになり、移動できなくなった。
Her desk was swamped with paperwork after the audit.
監査の後、彼女の机は書類の山でいっぱいになった。
The support team was swamped with questions when the new app launched.
新しいアプリの公開時、サポートチームには質問が殺到した。
swamp の語源・成り立ち Etymology
中英語 swamm にさかのぼり、中オランダ語 somp などゲルマン系の「湿ったぬかるみ」と関係する。水を含んだ柔らかい土地の感覚が原義。
Swamp goes back to Middle English swamm and is related to Germanic words such as Middle Dutch somp. Its original sense was a soft, wet, muddy piece of ground full of water.
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