Meanings
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1
adj
lowercase, literary: resembling or characteristic of moorland; boggy or marshy
Only a patch of moorish soil surrounded the isolated grange.
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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.
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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
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.