moor
/mʊə(r)/
noun
Origin
Proto-Germanic
*mōraz — marsh, fen, or swampy waste land
Overview
Meaning Now
- An area of open uncultivated upland, typically characterized by acidic soil, heather, and peat bogs.
Literal older meaning
waste land; barren land
Language path
Proto-Germanic → Old English → English
Earliest form
mōr
Earliest period
Old English period
Journey
In Old English and early Middle English, the word 'moor' was primarily associated with waterlogged or marshy terrain. Over centuries, the usage in Britain shifted to denote high-lying, often infertile, open land covered with heather and gorse, which characterized large portions of the British landscape.
Evolution
- Proto-Germanic
*mōraz
“marsh, fen”
- Old English
mōr
“marsh, swamp, moor, mountain”
Initially referred specifically to wetland, broadening to include upland heaths.
- Middle English
mor
“waste land, bog”
Connections
Word parts
moor
root
open, uncultivated, often wet land
Related across languages
Dutch
moer
bog, fen
German
bog, moor
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External references use DefinedTerm semantics.