moat
1Moat — Moat, n. [OF. mote hill, dike, bank, F. motte clod, turf: cf. Sp. & Pg. mota bank or mound of earth, It. motta clod, LL. mota, motta, a hill on which a fort is built, an eminence, a dike, Prov. G. mott bog earth heaped up; or perh. F. motte, and… …
2Moat — Moat, v. t. To surround with a moat. Dryden. [1913 Webster] …
3moat — (n.) mid 14c., from O.Fr. mote mound, hillock, embankment; castle built on a hill (12c.; Mod.Fr. motte), from M.L. mota mound, fortified height, of unknown origin, perhaps from Gaulish mutt, mutta. Sense shifted in Norman French from the castle… …
4moat — [mōt] n. [ME mote < OFr, orig., mound, embankment, prob. < Gmc * motta, heap of earth] a deep, broad ditch dug around a fortress or castle, and often filled with water, for protection against invasion vt. to surround with or as with a moat …
5moat — [məut US mout] n [Date: 1300 1400; : Old French; Origin: mote, motte small hill (on which a castle was built) ] 1.) a deep wide hole, usually filled with water, dug around a castle as a defence 2.) a deep wide hole dug around an area used for… …
6moat — [ mout ] noun count a deep wide hole, usually filled with water, that surrounds a castle as protection against attack a. a similar hole used for preventing animals from escaping in a ZOO …
7Moat — Rare, le nom est surtout porté en Lorraine (54, 55). Sens obscur. On peut sans doute faire le rapprochement avec Moet, Moët, patronyme champenois lui aussi assez incertain. Peut être celui qui fait la moue (ancien français et dialecte champenois… …
8moat — [n] ditch canal, channel, fosse, gully, trench; concepts 509,513 …
9moat — ► NOUN ▪ a deep, wide defensive ditch surrounding a castle or town, typically filled with water. DERIVATIVES moated adjective. ORIGIN Old French mote mound …
10Moat — For information on the moat of a tropical cyclone, see eye (cyclone). For the gunman, see Raoul Moat. The moated manor house of Baddesley Clinton in Warwickshire, England A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that… …
