Nearby Words
noun
1.
a deep, wide trench, usually filled with water, surrounding the rampart of a fortified place, as a town or a castle.
2.
any similar trench, as one used for confining animals in a zoo.
Origin:
1325–75; Middle English mote < Old French: clod, mound, of obscure origin
1325–75; Middle English mote < Old French: clod, mound, of obscure origin
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
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Link To MOATS
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Moats
is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
moat
mid-14c., from O.Fr. mote, from M.L. mota "mound, fortified height," probably from Gaulish mutt, mutta. Sense shifted in Norman French from the castle mound to the ditch dug around it.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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