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moat definition

moat (mōt)

noun

a deep, broad ditch dug around a fortress or castle, and often filled with water, for protection against invasion

Etymology: ME mote < OFr, orig., mound, embankment, prob. < Gmc *motta, heap of earth

transitive verb

to surround with or as with a moat

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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