What is "fen"

Fen \Fen\ (f[e^]n), n. [AS. fen, fenn, marsh, mud, dirt; akin to D. veen, OFries. fenne, fene, OHG. fenna, G. fenn, Icel. fen, Goth. fani mud.] Low land overflowed, or covered wholly or partially with water, but producing sedge, coarse grasses, or other aquatic plants; boggy land; moor; marsh.

'Mid reedy fens wide spread.
--Wordsworth.

Note: Fen is used adjectively with the sense of belonging to, or of the nature of, a fen or fens.

Fen boat, a boat of light draught used in marshes.

Fen duck (Zo["o]l.), a wild duck inhabiting fens; the shoveler. [Prov. Eng.]

Fen fowl (Zo["o]l.), any water fowl that frequent fens.

Fen goose (Zo["o]l.), the graylag goose of Europe. [Prov. Eng.]

Fen land, swamp land.

"low land covered wholly or partly by water," Old English fenn "mud, mire, dirt; fen, marsh, moor," from Proto-Germanic *fanjam- "swamp, marsh" (cognates: Old Saxon feni, Old Frisian fenne, Middle Dutch venne, Dutch veen, Old High German fenna, German Fenn "marsh," Old Norse fen, Gothic fani "mud"), from PIE *pen- "swamp" (cognates: Gaulish anam "water," Sanskrit pankah "bog, marsh, mud," Old Prussian pannean "swampland"). Italian and Spanish fango, Old French fanc, French fange "mud" are loan-words from Germanic. The native Latin word was limus or lutum.

Etymology 1 n. A type of wetland fed by ground water and runoff, containing peat below the waterline. Etymology 2

n. (label en dated fandom) fans; a plural form used by enthusiasts of science fiction, fantasy, and anime, partly from whimsy and partly to distinguish themselves from fans of sport, etc.

1. n. 100 fen equal 1 yuan

2. low-lying wet land with grassy vegetation; usually is a transition zone between land and water; "thousands of acres of marshland"; "the fens of eastern England" [syn: marsh, marshland, fenland]

A fen is one of the main types of wetland, the others being grassy marshes, forested swamps, and peaty bogs. Along with bogs, fens are a kind of mire. Fens are usually fed by mineral-rich surface water or groundwater. They are characterised by their water chemistry, which is pH neutral or alkaline, with relatively high dissolved mineral levels but few other plant nutrients. They are usually dominated by grasses and sedges, and typically have brown mosses in general including Scorpidium or Drepanocladus. Fens frequently have a high diversity of other plant species including carnivorous plants such as Pinguicula. They may also occur along large lakes and rivers where seasonal changes in water level maintain wet soils with few woody plants. The distribution of individual species of fen plants is often closely connected to water regimes and nutrient concentrations.

Fens have a characteristic set of plant species, which sometimes provide the best indicators of environmental conditions. For example, fen indicator species in New York State include Carex flava, Cladium mariscoides, Potentilla fruticosa, Pogonia ophioglossoides and Parnassia glauca.

Fens are distinguished from bogs, which are acidic, low in minerals, and usually dominated by sedges and shrubs, along with abundant mosses in the genus Sphagnum.

Fens have been damaged in the past by land drainage, and also by peat cutting. Some are now being carefully restored with modern management methods. The principal challenges are to restore natural water flow regimes, to maintain the quality of water, and to prevent invasion by woody plants.

A fen is a type of wetland.

Fen(s), FEN(S), or Fenn(s) may also refer to:

Fen may be either a Chinese female given name or family name. As a given name, it is represented in simplified Chinese as 芬 (pinyin: Fēn).

Fen may also be a surname in countries other than China, such as Uzbekistan where it is represented in Cyrilic as Фен.

Fen or Fenna is also an unrelated Frisian name.

Fen is a British black metal/ post-rock band formed in 2006 from the Fens of East Anglia signed to the label Code666. Their Myspace page reports that they "draw the listener into a windswept and desolate landscape, bereft of hope". In 2006 they recorded the Ancient Sorrow EP (released on both CD and vinyl) and January 2009 saw the release of the first full length album The Malediction Fields under the CODE666 record label. In 2011 they released the second studio album Epoch (also CODE666 records), gaining positive reviews in leading magazines Metal Hammer (8/10) and Terrorizer magazine (7.5/10). The album was launched at the Bull & Gate venue in London with support from the old Corpse Road on 11 February 2011.

Fen have played at many festivals and with many other acts, including at the Infernal Damnation Festival, the Damnation Festival 2010 (alongside acts such as Sabbat and Lawnmower Deth) the Aurora Infernalis Festival in 2012 (alongside Primordial) and tours (including international dates) with Negura Bunget, Wodensthrone and Agalloch.

Epoch was released in a standard jewel CD case and as a strictly limited artbook edition (limited to 799 copies) with 40 pages of photography from the landscapes that have inspired the music and two bonus tracks ("The Wind Whispers of Loss" & "...From the Mists"). A Waning Solace from Epoch featured in Terrorizer magazine's 10 essential anthems (Issue 208). For this album the lineup featured original members The Watcher, Grungyn and Theutus with Æðelwalh previously of Wodensthrone on synths. Prior to Æðelwalh (in 2007) Draugluin had played synths with the band.

In 2012 Fen announced that their third album Dustwalker would be released on 21 January 2013 via Code 666 records, a launch show would follow in Camden on 15 February. The lineup for this record would be a three piece featuring the Watcher, Grungyn and new drummer Derwydd. To support the new album Fen announced a 28 date European tour alongside Agalloch.