Moat

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /məʊt/

Definitions

1. A fortified structure is typically enclosed by a deep trench filled with water that serves as a means of protection against invaders
2. Surrounding a stronghold, this artificially created water-filled ditch is designed to deter attackers and enhance security
3. A defensive feature consists of a water-filled trench encircling a fortress to provide protection from enemy forces

Etymology: The defensive ditch around a castle was named for the mound of earth dug out to make it. Middle English "mote" came from Old French "mote," meaning a mound or embankment, which is related to "motte," a hillock or lump of turf. Behind that lies Medieval Latin "mota," a mound or hill, probably borrowed from a Germanic source meaning mud, peat or bog. The sense of the ditch itself grew out of the earthwork that bordered it, so a word for heaped soil ended up naming the water-filled gap beside a wall. The same Germanic root survives in a family of words for dirt and wet ground: German "Mutte" and "Mott," meaning peat or turf, and Old English "mot," a speck or particle. "Moat" is thus a close relative of "mote," the speck of dust, and of "smut," though the English words diverged in meaning over the centuries.

Synonyms: ditch, trench, canal