peat

Everyday

Soft, dark brown soil made of plants that have half-rotted very slowly in wet, boggy places over thousands of years; it can be dried and burned as fuel. tree →

In the lessons

In geography and science lessons, peat bogs in Ireland, Scotland and Canada store huge amounts of carbon, so protecting them helps the climate. In history, people cut peat for fires, and bog bodies were preserved in peat. In gardening, people now use peat-free compost. Phrases: peat bog, peat-free compost, cut peat.

Examples

• Peat forms very slowly in wet bogs. tree →
• In Ireland, families once burned peat on their fires. tree →
• Peat bogs store a lot of carbon. tree →
• Buy peat-free compost to protect the bogs. tree →
• Ancient bodies have been found preserved in peat. tree →
• The peat smoke smelled earthy. tree →
• By and bye the season came when they must cut the peats and pile them up to dry, so that they might have fires in the winter. tree →

Note

Uncountable: some peat, a block of peat. In Ireland peat is also called turf. Pete (a name) sounds the same.