Moats

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A water-filled trench that encircles a castle or stronghold aids in defense by preventing access to the structure from attackers or unwanted entrants
2. A deep channel containing water surrounding a fortification serves as a protection mechanism to deter invaders and enhance overall safety
3. A surrounding water-filled ditch designed to provide a barrier against invasions helps to safeguard a fortified structure from attackers

Etymology: The word "moat" once meant a mound, not a ditch. Middle English "mote" came from Old French "mote," meaning an embankment or hillock, and that in turn traces to Medieval Latin "mota," a mound or hill. The sense of a mound was the original one, which is easy to miss today when the word conjures a trench of water around a castle. The Old French form also appears alongside "motte," a word for a hillock, lump, or clod of turf. The deeper roots point to dirt and wetness. The likely Germanic source sits behind words for peat, turf, and bog, and cognates include Old English "mot," meaning a speck or particle, and German dialect words for peat. Scholars link the whole group to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning dark or dirty, which is why "moat" shares a family with "mud" and "smut." The business sense is far more recent. "Moat" was popularized for a company's lasting competitive advantage by the American investor Warren Buffett, who used the image of a castle protected by a defensive ditch.

Synonyms: ditches, trenches