peat

Late Middle English, from British Vulgar Latin peta, probably ultimately from a Celtic language such as an unattested Pictish or Brythonic source, in turn possibly from Proto-Brythonic *peθ (“portion, segment, piece”).

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /piːt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːt
• Homophone: Pete

peat (countable and uncountable, plural peats)

1. Soil formed of dead but not fully decayed plants found in bog areas, often burned as fuel. [from 14th c.]

• peat bog, peatbog
• peaty

• peat on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Compare pet (“a favourite”).

peat (plural peats)

1. (obsolete) A pet, a darling; a woman.
   • 1594, William Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew, I. i. 78 :

     And let it not displease thee, good Bianca, / For I will love thee ne'er the less, my girl. / A pretty peat!

• Kuhn, Sherman (1982): Middle English Dictionary, Part 3, p. 880

• PETA, Paet, Pate, Peta, epta-, pate, peta-, pâté, tape, tepa