A morass is a soft, wet area of low-lying land that sinks underfoot. In other words, it's something you probably don't want to get stuck in.
First used in 1655, the noun morass comes from the Dutch word moeras, meaning "marsh" or "fen." More metaphorically, just like its synonyms mire and quagmire, morass refers to anything that bogs you down, overwhelms you, sticks to everything, and hinders your progress — like red tape, for example, or the endless series of prerecorded "customer service" messages prompting you to "press one now," when you call to find out why your computer software isn't working.
