peat

Inherited from Northern Middle English pete (recorded in Latin text as peta), of uncertain origin; perhaps from a Celtic language such as an unattested Pictish or Brythonic source, in turn possibly from Proto-Brythonic *peθ (“portion, segment, piece”); if so, it would be a doublet of 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 on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Compare pet (“a favourite”).

peat (plural peats)

1. (obsolete) A pet, a darling; a woman.
   • c. 1590–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i], line 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

Clipping of English repeat.

peat

1. (Hong Kong Cantonese) to repeat a year

• 重讀／重读 (chóngdú)