mosstrooper

[maws-troo-per, mos-]

noun

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

any marauder.

Origin of mosstrooper

First recorded in 1645–55; moss + trooper

Related formsmoss·troop·er·y, nounmoss·troop·ing, noun, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for mosstrooper

Historical Examples of mosstrooper

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.
Catriona
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.
David Balfour, Second Part
Robert Louis Stevenson

British Dictionary definitions for mosstrooper

mosstrooper

noun

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

Word Origin for mosstrooper

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