moor

1
[ moor ]
See synonyms for moor on Thesaurus.com
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.

Origin of moor

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English more, Old English mōr; cognate with Dutch moer, German Moor “marsh”

Other words from moor

  • moory, adjective

Words that may be confused with moor

Other definitions for moor (2 of 3)

moor2
[ 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.

Origin of moor

2
First recorded in 1485–95; earlier more, akin to Old English mǣrels- in mǣrelsrāp “rope for mooring a ship”; see marline

Other definitions for Moor (3 of 3)

Moor
[ 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.

Origin of Moor

3
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English More, from Middle French, variant of Maure, from Latin Maurus, from Greek Maûros, perhaps from Berber

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for moor (1 of 3)

moor1

/ (mʊə, mɔː) /


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

Origin of moor

1
Old English mōr; related to Old Saxon mōr, Old High German muor swamp

Derived forms of moor

  • moory, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for moor (2 of 3)

moor2

/ (mʊə, mɔː) /


verb
  1. to secure (a ship, boat, etc) with cables or ropes

  2. (of a ship, boat, etc) to be secured in this way

  1. (not in technical usage) a less common word for anchor (def. 11)

Origin of moor

2
C15: of Germanic origin; related to Old English mǣrelsrāp rope for mooring

British Dictionary definitions for Moor (3 of 3)

Moor

/ (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)

Origin of Moor

3
C14: via Old French from Latin Maurus, from Greek Mauros, possibly from Berber

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012