moor

¹

[ moor ]

noun

1. a tract of open, peaty, wasteland, often overgrown with heath, common in high latitudes and altitudes where drainage is poor; heath.
2. a tract of land preserved for game.

moor

²

[ moor ]

verb (used with object)

1. to secure (a ship, boat, dirigible, etc.) in a particular place, as by cables and anchors or by lines.
2. to fix firmly; secure.

verb (used without object)

1. to moor a ship, small boat, etc.
2. to be made secure by cables or the like.

noun

1. the act of mooring.

Moor

³

[ moor ]

noun

1. a Muslim of the mixed Berber and Arab people inhabiting NW Africa.
2. a member of this group that invaded Spain in the 8th century a.d. and occupied it until 1492.

moor

¹

/ mɔː; mʊə /

verb

1. to secure (a ship, boat, etc) with cables or ropes
2. (of a ship, boat, etc) to be secured in this way
3. (not in technical usage) a less common word for anchor

moor

²

/ mɔː; mʊə /

noun

1. a tract of unenclosed ground, usually having peaty soil covered with heather, coarse grass, bracken, and moss

Moor

³

/ mʊə; mɔː /

noun

1. a member of a Muslim people of North Africa, of mixed Arab and Berber descent. In the 8th century they were converted to Islam and established power in North Africa and Spain, where they established a civilization (756–1492)

Derived Forms

• ˈmoory, adjective

Other Words From

• moory adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of moor¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English more, Old English mōr; cognate with Dutch moer, German Moor “marsh”

Origin of moor²

First recorded in 1485–95; earlier more, akin to Old English mǣrels- in mǣrelsrāp “rope for mooring a ship”; marline

Origin of moor³

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English More, from Middle French, variant of Maure, from Latin Maurus, from Greek Maûros, perhaps from Berber

Word History and Origins

Origin of moor¹

C15: of Germanic origin; related to Old English mǣrelsrāp rope for mooring

Origin of moor²

Old English mōr; related to Old Saxon mōr, Old High German muor swamp

Origin of moor³

C14: via Old French from Latin Maurus, from Greek Mauros, possibly from Berber

Example Sentences

Even as the vast majority of these settlers were born right here in the USA, Sundog speculates that their attachment to turf is some sort of emotional inheritance from the Motherland of moors and meadows.

From Outside Online

“This one stood out like a sore thumb and it threw me for a loop,” Moor said.

From ProPublica

She was absolved of the charge because a portrait of a Moor hung above her bed.

From The Daily Beast

Estevanico, or “Esteban the Moor,” arrived on the continent in 1534.

From The Daily Beast

Battle of Shipton moor; prince Henry dispersed the 8,000 insurgents under Scroop, by seizing the persons of their leaders.

From Project Gutenberg

A faint column of smoke curled up into the still air, and as he spoke the lower rim of the setting sun met the edge of the moor.

From Project Gutenberg

It ended in a broad open moor, stony; and full of damp boggy hollows, forlorn and desolate under the autumn sky.

From Project Gutenberg

The girl looked round the ragged moor, brooding in the twilight, and half hesitated.

From Project Gutenberg

"I've been mooning about the moor all the afternoon and lost myself twice," she explained between frank mouthfuls.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• dock
• tether
• tie up