moorish

C2 Topic:Nature & Landscape

US /ˈmʊrɪʃ/ UK /ˈmʊərɪʃ/ See IPA manual

Freq #49096

Meanings

1

adj
lowercase, literary: resembling or characteristic of moorland; boggy or marshy

Only a patch of moorish soil surrounded the isolated grange.
2

adj
relating to the Muslim inhabitants of medieval North Africa and Iberia, or to their culture

The exhibition traces Moorish influence on music, language, and decorative art.
3

adj
describing an architectural style associated with medieval Islamic Iberia, especially horseshoe arches and geometric ornament

The courtyard combines Moorish arches with elaborate tilework.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · lowercase, literary:... moorymarshy boggy swampy

2 adj · relating to the muslim... Moresque

3 adj · describing an architectural... MoresqueMoorish-style

Opposites

dry arid

Word family

Derived forms moorishly

Related forms moor moorland MoorAl-Andalus

Etymology

Two formations converge in this spelling. Lowercase moorish is moor ('open uncultivated upland') + -ish and means moorlike or marshy, as in Jane Eyre. Capitalized Moorish is Moor + -ish and refers to the people, culture, and architecture of medieval Islamic North Africa and Iberia.

Topics

Nature & Landscape

External links

# moorish

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈmʊrɪʃ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈmʊərɪʃ/
**Frequency rank:** 49096

## Meanings
1. lowercase, literary: resembling or characteristic of moorland; boggy or marshy
2. relating to the Muslim inhabitants of medieval North Africa and Iberia, or to their culture
3. describing an architectural style associated with medieval Islamic Iberia, especially horseshoe arches and geometric ornament

## Examples
- Only a patch of moorish soil surrounded the isolated grange.
- The exhibition traces Moorish influence on music, language, and decorative art.
- The courtyard combines Moorish arches with elaborate tilework.

## Synonyms
- moory
- marshy
- boggy
- Moresque

## Antonyms
- dry
- arid

## Derived Forms
- moorishly

## Related Forms
- moor
- moorland
- Moor
- Al-Andalus

## Etymology
Two formations converge in this spelling. Lowercase moorish is moor ('open uncultivated upland') + -ish and means moorlike or marshy, as in Jane Eyre. Capitalized Moorish is Moor + -ish and refers to the people, culture, and architecture of medieval Islamic North Africa and Iberia.

## Topics
- Nature & Landscape

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