Late Middle English, from British Vulgar Latin peta, probably ultimately from a Celtic - language such as an unattested xpi - or cel-bry - source, in turn possibly from cel-bry-pro *peθ.

• (British, America) IPA: /piːt/

peat

1. Soil formed of dead but not fully decayed plants found in bog areas, often burned as fuel. [from 14th c.]

• French: tourbe
• German: Torf
• Italian: torba
• Portuguese: turfa
• Russian: торф
• Spanish: turba

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!

From a Middle English pet-form of Peter.

1. Surname.