mosstrooper

[ maws-troo-per, mos- ]

noun

1. a marauder who operated in the mosses, or bogs, of the border between England and Scotland in the 17th century.
2. any marauder.

mosstrooper

/ ˈmɒsˌtruːpə /

noun

1. a raider in the border country of England and Scotland in the mid-17th century

Other Words From

• mosstrooper·y noun
• mosstrooping noun adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of mosstrooper¹

First recorded in 1645–55; moss + trooper

Word History and Origins

Origin of mosstrooper¹

C17 moss, in northern English dialect sense: bog

Example Sentences

"The manners of a mosstrooper and the morality of a he goat," was the description which my friend John Francis Maguire, the distinguished Roman Catholic member of the House of Commons, gave, in one of his Parliamentary speeches, of King Victor Emanuel.

From Project Gutenberg

These circumstances to which reference has been made, and others of a kindred nature, may account, in some degree at least, for the extraordinary fact that the Border mosstrooper never seems to have been ashamed of his calling.

From Project Gutenberg

Vixen shook her rein and trotted recklessly down a slippery path, jumped a broad black ditch, and plunged into the recesses of the wood, Bullfinch and Mosstrooper following meekly.

From Project Gutenberg

Captain Winstanley's well-seasoned hunter, Mosstrooper, nodding his long bony head, and swaying his fine-drawn neck up and down in a half-savage half-scornful manner, as if he were at war with society in general, like the Miller of Dee.

From Project Gutenberg

Mr C. began to breed this class of stock about twenty years ago, and "Lord Scarboro'," "Mosstrooper," "Beeswing," "Garioch Boy," "Scarlet Velvet," and "Diphthong," are some of the celebrated bulls that have been introduced into the herd.

From Project Gutenberg