embourber

to get bogged down, to mire

verb ahn-boor-BEH Rare

Origin: French 'en-' + 'bourbe' (mud, mire)

Usage Note

Embourber can be used literally (a vehicle stuck in mud) or figuratively for a situation that has become hopelessly complicated. The reflexive s'embourber ('to get bogged down') is more common than the transitive form. Compare s'enliser ('to sink deeper').

Examples

"La voiture s'est embourbée dans le champ."

Natural Translation

The car got bogged down in the field.

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