Jump To:

• moray
  moray

  noun

  any of numerous chiefly tropical eels of the family Muraenidae, having porelike gill openings and no pectoral fins.
• Moray
  Moray

  noun

  a historic county in NE Scotland, on Moray Firth.

moray

¹ American  

[mawr-ey, mohr-ey, maw-rey, moh-] / ˈmɔr eɪ, ˈmoʊr eɪ, mɔˈreɪ, moʊ- /

noun

morays plural

1. any of numerous chiefly tropical eels of the family Muraenidae, having porelike gill openings and no pectoral fins.

---

Moray ² American  

[mur-ee] / ˈmɜr i /

noun

1. a historic county in NE Scotland, on Moray Firth.

---

Moray ¹ British  

/ ˈmʌrɪ /

noun

1. Former name: Elgin.  a council area and historical county of NE Scotland: part of Grampian region from 1975 to 1996: mainly hilly, with the Cairngorm mountains in the S. Administrative centre: Elgin. Pop: 87 460 (2003 est). Area: 2238 sq km (874 sq miles)

---

Moray ² British  

/ ˈmʌrɪ /

noun

1. 1st Earl of, title of James Stuart. ?1531–70, regent of Scotland (1567–70) following the abdication of Mary, Queen of Scots, his half-sister. He defeated Mary and Bothwell at Langside (1568); assassinated by a follower of Mary

---

moray ³ British  

/ mɒˈreɪ /

noun

1. any voracious marine coastal eel of the family Muraenidae, esp Muraena helena, marked with brilliant patterns and colours

---

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• morays
  plural

Etymology

Origin of moray

1615–25, < Portuguese moréia < Latin mūraena < Greek mȳ́raina lamprey

Example Sentences

After weeks of patience, last year's winner, Shane Gross, captured peppered moray eels scavenging for carrion at low tide.

From BBC • Oct. 14, 2025

California moray eels live in coral reefs from Point Conception in Santa Barbara County to southern Baja California in Mexico, according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 17, 2024

The fish are the first known species of moray to inhabit these formations, known as anchialine caves.

From Science Magazine • May 18, 2023

A green moray eel poked out of the rocks, and a barracuda hunted overhead.

From Washington Post • Sep. 9, 2022

Some time later, I made an informed guess that it had been a large moray eel.

From "The Cay" by Theodore Taylor