Etymology Map
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Moat

3 stages from Old French to English.

Today it means a deep, wide ditch filled with water around a castle

Where does the word "moat" come from? It comes from Old French mota, passing through Middle English before entering English (1500s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
mota
Old French · medieval
"mound, embankment"
possibly of Gaulish origin; referred to a mound of earth, as in 'motte-and-bailey' castles
2
Stage 2 of 3
mote
Middle English · 1300s
"mound; ditch"
shifted from the mound to the ditch dug out to raise it
3
Stage 3 of 3
moat
English · 1500s
"defensive water-filled ditch"
fixed on the water-filled ditch surrounding a castle
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Read the full story

Moat’s story begins in Old French: mota meant “mound, embankment.” Possibly of Gaulish origin; referred to a mound of earth, as in 'motte-and-bailey' castles. By 1300s, the word had taken hold in Middle English as mote. Shifted from the mound to the ditch dug out to raise it. It reached English by 1500s as moat. Fixed on the water-filled ditch surrounding a castle. Today, moat means a deep, wide ditch filled with water around a castle.