moat

Etymology

From Middle English mote, from Old French mote ("mound, embankment"; compare also Old French motte (“hillock, lump, clod, turf”), from Medieval Latin mota (“a mound, hill, a hill on which a castle is built, castle, embankment, turf”)), of Germanic origin, perhaps via Old Frankish *mot, *motta (“mud, peat, bog, turf”), from Proto-Germanic *mutô, *mudraz, *muþraz (“dirt, filth, mud, swamp”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)mut- (“dark, dirty”). Cognate with Alemannic German Mott, Mutte (“peat, turf”), Bavarian Mott (“peat, turf”), Dutch dialectal mot (“dust, fine sand”), Saterland Frisian mut (“grit, litter, humus”), Swedish muta (“to drizzle”), Old English mot (“speck, particle”). More at mote, mud, smut.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /məʊt/
• Rhymes: -əʊt
• (US) IPA^(key): /moʊt/
• Rhymes: -oʊt
• Homophone: mote

Noun

moat (plural moats)

1. A deep, wide defensive ditch, normally filled with water, surrounding a fortified habitation.
2. An aspect of a business which makes it more "defensible" from competitors, either because of the nature of its products, services, franchise or other reason.

Anagrams

• Amto, Mato, Mota, atmo, atom, mota, toma

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmoɑt/
• IPA^(key): /ˈmoːɑt/
• Hyphenation: mo‧at

Noun

moat

1. Nominative plural form of moa.

Anagrams

• mato, omat