moat /məʊt $ moʊt/ noun [countable]
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: mote, motte 'small hill (on which a castle was built)']

1. a deep wide hole, usually filled with water, dug around a castle as a defence

2. a deep wide hole dug around an area used for animals in a zoo to stop them from escaping
—moated adjective

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲