moor

¹

[moor]

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.

moor

²

[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.

Moor

³

[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.

moor

¹

/ mɔː, mʊə /

verb

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

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

3. (not in technical usage) a less common word for anchor

Moor

²

/ 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)

moor

³

/ mɔː, mʊə /

noun

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

Other Word Forms

• moory adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of moor¹

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

Origin of moor²

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

Origin of moor³

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of moor¹

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

Origin of moor²

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

Origin of moor³

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

Example Sentences

Fire crews battling a vast moorland blaze in North Yorkshire this month have been hampered by exploding bombs and tank shells dating back to training on the moors during the Second World War.

From BBC

"To see the moors and farmland burned to a crisp it is just devastating."

From BBC

Campers were being asked to check the Backpack Code and where camping is permitted on the moor before heading out.

From BBC

Authorities said the port and a fish processing facility had been flooded, and vessels had been swept from their moorings.

From BBC

In a way the rising take-up for these memberships reflects India's broader post-liberalisation growth story – when the country opened up to the world and discarded its socialist moorings.

From BBC

Related Words

• dock 
• tether 
• tie up