Moat

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /məʊt/
• Rhymes: -əʊt
• US IPA: /moÊŠt/
• Rhymes: -oÊŠt
• Homophones: mote

Origin

From Middle English mote, from Old French mote (), of 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"), Eastern Frisian mut ("grit, litter, humus"), Swedish muta ("to drizzle"), Old English mot ("speck, particle"). More at mote, mud, smut.

Full definition of moat

Noun

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.

Synonyms

• fosse

Anagrams

• Amto
• atom
• Mato
• mota
• toma