mosstrooper

[ maws-troo-per, mos- ]

noun
  1. a marauder who operated in the mosses, or bogs, of the border between England and Scotland in the 17th century.

  2. any marauder.

Origin of mosstrooper

1
First recorded in 1645–55; moss + trooper

Other words from mosstrooper

  • moss·troop·er·y, noun
  • mosstrooping, noun, adjective

Words Nearby mosstrooper

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

How to use mosstrooper in a sentence

  • Yes; and the mosstrooper now lies in the Donjon with iron on wrist and ankle.

    The Mosstrooper | Robert Scott Fittis
  • "If I had known you were such a mosstrooper you should have tasted longer of the Bass," says he.

    David Balfour, Second Part | Robert Louis Stevenson
  • “Ay; I had almost forgotten,” returned Sir James, as he went in search of the mosstrooper.

    The Mosstrooper | Robert Scott Fittis
  • “If I had known you were such a mosstrooper you should have tasted longer of the Bass,” says he.

    Catriona | Robert Louis Stevenson

British Dictionary definitions for mosstrooper

mosstrooper

/ (ˈmɒsˌtruːpə) /


noun
  1. a raider in the border country of England and Scotland in the mid-17th century

Origin of mosstrooper

1
C17 moss, in northern English dialect sense: bog

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