moray

¹ American  

[mawr-ey, mohr-ey, maw-rey, moh-] / ˈmɔr eɪ, ˈmoʊr eɪ, mɔˈreɪ, moʊ- /

noun

plural

morays

1. any of numerous chiefly tropical eels of the family Muraenidae, having porelike gill openings and no pectoral fins.

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Moray ² American  

[mur-ee] / ˈmɜr i /

noun

1. a historic county in NE Scotland, on Moray Firth.

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Moray ¹ British  

/ ˈmʌrɪ /

noun

1. Former name: Elgin.  a council area and historical county of NE Scotland: part of Grampian region from 1975 to 1996: mainly hilly, with the Cairngorm mountains in the S. Administrative centre: Elgin. Pop: 87 460 (2003 est). Area: 2238 sq km (874 sq miles)

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Moray ² British  

/ ˈmʌrɪ /

noun

1. 1st Earl of, title of James Stuart. ?1531–70, regent of Scotland (1567–70) following the abdication of Mary, Queen of Scots, his half-sister. He defeated Mary and Bothwell at Langside (1568); assassinated by a follower of Mary

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moray ³ British  

/ mɒˈreɪ /

noun

1. any voracious marine coastal eel of the family Muraenidae, esp Muraena helena, marked with brilliant patterns and colours

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Etymology

Origin of moray

1615–25, < Portuguese moréia < Latin mūraena < Greek mȳ́raina lamprey

Example Sentences

After weeks of patience, last year's winner, Shane Gross, captured peppered moray eels scavenging for carrion at low tide.

From BBC • Oct. 14, 2025

“I think this one drew people’s people’s attention because of the way the teeth and head look on the moray eel and the fact that it was bleached out,” Ugoretz said of the online post.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 17, 2024

John Pogonoski, an ichthyologist in Australia, wasn’t about to be fooled by any moray eels.

From New York Times • Sep. 14, 2023

Scientists exploring underwater caves have discovered a new species of moray eel that appears to be adapting to its unique habitat—by losing its eyes.

From Science Magazine • May 18, 2023

Some time later, I made an informed guess that it had been a large moray eel.

From "The Cay" by Theodore Taylor