quagmire
UK: ˈkwæɡ.maɪər | US: ˈkwæɡ.maɪər
n. 1. An area of soft, wet ground that yields underfoot; a bog or marsh.
n. 2. A complex or precarious situation that is difficult to escape from.
The word "quagmire" combines "quag" (an obsolete term for a bog or shaking marsh, likely imitative of the sound of squelching mud) and "mire" (Old Norse "mýrr," meaning swamp). The term emerged in the late 16th century, originally describing literal muddy terrain. By the 18th century, it metaphorically extended to describe entangled or inescapable situations, mirroring the struggle of being stuck in physical mud.
The hikers accidentally stepped into a quagmire and sank up to their knees.
The political scandal became a quagmire for the administration.
After heavy rain, the field turned into a quagmire.
Negotiations stalled, leaving both parties in a legal quagmire.
The novel’s protagonist finds herself in a moral quagmire.