moray

¹ American  

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

noun

plural

morays

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

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Moray ² American  

[mur-ee] / ˈmɜr i /

noun

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

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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)

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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

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moray ³ British  

/ mɒˈreɪ /

noun

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

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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

“It’s giving me nightmares,” wrote a Reddit user on Saturday, posting a picture of what appeared to be a dead moray eel on the beach.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 17, 2024

John Pogonoski, an ichthyologist in Australia, wasn’t about to be fooled by any moray eels.

From New York Times • Sep. 14, 2023

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

From Science Magazine • May 18, 2023

In a panic he twisted the throttle and the johnboat picked up speed, but that didn’t help—Jasper Jr. was stuck on the end of my line like a moray eel.

From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen