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

Midweek stays cold with brisk northerly winds, and sleet and snow showers are likely, mainly along northern and eastern coasts, as well as Northern Ireland, west Wales, and possibly the moors of south-west England.

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Thousands more are being housed in cruise ships that have been moored in the estuary.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

On Monday thousands of delegates poured into the COP venue in a heavily air-conditioned former aerodrome, some coming from accommodation in shipping containers and cruise ships moored on the riverside.

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Longshoremen were supposed to help moor incoming ships—instead, they shouted curses.

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A large ocean-going tug has been moored off Greenock for nearly a week, waiting for the final approvals to be signed off so it can begin its departure.

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Related Words

• dock 
• tether 
• tie up