To walk slowly and heavily, or to work steadily but without much enthusiasm or speed.
Origin unknown but possibly related to Dutch or Scandinavian words meaning to splash or trudge. First appeared in English texts around the 1600s. The word has maintained its sense of slow, heavy movement throughout its history.
Farmers and soldiers would 'plod' through muddy fields, and today we use it metaphorically—students might 'plod' through a difficult book, meaning they move through it slowly but persistently, which is actually the key to getting through hard things!
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