Moonish Moon"ish (mōn"ĭsh) adjective Like the moon; variable.

Being but a moonish youth.

Shak.

Moonless Moon"less adjective Being without a moon or moonlight.

Moonlight Moon`light` noun The light of the moon. -- adjective Occurring during or by moonlight; characterized by moonlight.

Moonlighter Moon"light`er noun One who follows an occupation or pastime by moonlight; as: (a) A moonshiner. (b) In Ireland, one of a band that engaged in agrarian outrages by night. (c) A serenader by moonlight. [ Local, U. S.]

Moonling Moon"ling noun A simpleton; a lunatic. [ Obsolete]

Moonlit Moon"lit` adjective Illumined by the moon. "The moonlit sea." Moore. " Moonlit dells." Lowell.

Moonraker Moon"rak`er noun (Nautical) Same as Moonsail .

Moonrise Moon"rise` noun The rising of the moon above the horizon; also, the time of its rising.

Moonsail Moon"sail` noun (Nautical) A sail sometimes carried in light winds, above a skysail. R. H. Dana, Jr.

Moonseed Moon"seed` noun (Botany) A climbing plant of the genus Menispermum ; -- so called from the crescentlike form of the seeds.

Moonset Moon"set` noun The descent of the moon below the horizon; also, the time when the moon sets.

Moonshee Moon"shee noun [ Hind. munishī , from Arabic munishī a writer, author, secretary, tutor.] A Mohammedan professor or teacher of language. [ India]

Moonshine Moon"shine` noun 1. The light of the moon. 2. Hence, show without substance or reality. 3. A month. [ R.] Shak. 4. A preparation of eggs for food. [ Obsolete]

Moonshine Moon"shine` adjective Moonlight. [ R.] Clarendon.

Moonshine Moon"shine` noun Liquor smuggled or illicitly distilled. [ Dial. Eng., & Colloq. or Slang, U. S.]

Moonshine Moon"shine` adjective 1. Empty; trivial; idle. 2. Designating, or pertaining to, illicit liquor; as, moonshine whisky. [ Dial. Eng., & Colloq. or Slang, U. S.]

Moonshiner Moon"shin`er noun A person engaged in illicit distilling; -- so called because the work is largely done at night. [ Cant, U.S.]

Moonshining Moon"shin`ing noun Illicit distilling. [ Slang or Colloq., U. S.]

Moonshiny Moon"shin`y adjective Moonlight. [ Colloq.]

I went to see them in a moonshiny night.

Addison.

Moonstone Moon"stone` (-stōn`) noun (Min.) A nearly pellucid variety of feldspar, showing pearly or opaline reflections from within. It is used as a gem. The best specimens come from Ceylon.

Moonstricken Moon"strick`en adjective See Moonstruck .

Moonstruck Moon"struck` adjective 1. Mentally affected or deranged by the supposed influence of the moon; lunatic. 2. Produced by the supposed influence of the moon. " Moonstruck madness." Milton. 3. Made sick by the supposed influence of the moon, as a human being; made unsuitable for food, as fishes, by such supposed influence.

Moonwort Moon"wort` noun (Botany) (a) The herb lunary or honesty. See Honesty . (b) Any fern of the genus Botrychium , esp. B. Lunaria ; -- so named from the crescent-shaped segments of its frond.

Moony Moon"y adjective 1. Of or pertaining to the moon.

Soft and pale as the moony beam.

J. R. Drake. 2. Furnished with a moon; bearing a crescent.

But soon the miscreant moony host
Before the victor cross shall fly.

Fenton. 3. Silly; weakly sentimental. [ Colloq.] G. Eliot.

Moor Moor (mōr) noun [ French More , Maure , Latin Maurus a Moor, a Mauritanian, an inhabitant of Mauritania, Greek May^ros ; confer may^ros black, dark. Confer Morris a dance, Morocco .] 1. One of a mixed race inhabiting Morocco, Algeria, Tunis, and Tripoli, chiefly along the coast and in towns. 2. (Hist.) Any individual of the swarthy races of Africa or Asia which have adopted the Mohammedan religion. "In Spanish history the terms Moors , Saracens, and Arabs are synonymous." Internat. Cyc.

Moor Moor noun [ Middle English mor , Anglo-Saxon mōr moor, morass; akin to Dutch moer moor, German moor , and probably to Goth. marei sea, English mere . See Mere a lake.] 1. An extensive waste covered with patches of heath, and having a poor, light soil, but sometimes marshy, and abounding in peat; a heath.

In her girlish age she kept sheep on the moor .

Carew. 2. A game preserve consisting of moorland. Moor buzzard (Zoology) , the marsh harrier. [ Prov. Eng.] -- Moor coal (Geol.) , a friable variety of lignite. -- Moor cock (Zoology) , the male of the moor fowl or red grouse of Europe. -- Moor coot . (Zoology) See Gallinule . -- Moor fowl . (Zoology) (a) The European ptarmigan, or red grouse ( Lagopus Scoticus ) . (b) The European heath grouse. See under Heath . -- Moor game . (Zoology) Same as Moor fowl (above). -- Moor grass (Botany) , a tufted perennial grass ( Sesleria cærulea ), found in mountain pastures of Europe. -- Moor hawk (Zoology) , the marsh harrier. -- Moor hen . (Zoology) (a) The female of the moor fowl . (b) A gallinule, esp. the European species. See Gallinule . (c) An Australian rail ( Tribonyx ventralis ). -- Moor monkey (Zoology) , the black macaque of Borneo ( Macacus maurus ). -- Moor titling (Zoology) , the European stonechat ( Pratinocola rubicola ).

Moor Moor (mōr) transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Moored (mōrd); present participle & verbal noun Mooring .] [ Prob. from Dutch marren to tie, fasten, or moor a ship. See Mar .] 1. (Nautical) To fix or secure, as a vessel, in a particular place by casting anchor, or by fastening with cables or chains; as, the vessel was moored in the stream; they moored the boat to the wharf. 2. Fig.: To secure, or fix firmly. Brougham.

Moor Moor intransitive verb To cast anchor; to become fast.

On oozy ground his galleys moor .

Dryden.

Moorage Moor"age noun A place for mooring.

Moorball Moor"ball` noun (Botany) A fresh-water alga ( Cladophora Ægagropila ) which forms a globular mass.

Moorband Moor"band` noun See Moorpan .

Mooress Moor"ess noun A female Moor; a Moorish woman.

Mooring Moor"ing noun 1. The act of confining a ship to a particular place, by means of anchors or fastenings. 2. That which serves to confine a ship to a place, as anchors, cables, bridles, etc. 3. plural The place or condition of a ship thus confined.

And the tossed bark in moorings swings.

Moore. Mooring block (Nautical) , a heavy block of cast iron sometimes used as an anchor for mooring vessels.

Moorish Moor"ish adjective [ From 2d Moor .] Having the characteristics of a moor or heath. " Moorish fens." Thomson.

Moorish Moor"ish adjective [ See 1st Moor , and confer Morris , Moresque .] Of or pertaining to Morocco or the Moors; in the style of the Moors. Moorish architecture , the style developed by the Moors in the later Middle Ages, esp. in Spain, in which the arch had the form of a horseshoe, and the ornamentation admitted no representation of animal life. It has many points of resemblance to the Arabian and Persian styles, but should be distinguished from them. See Illust. under Moresque .

Moorland Moor"land noun [ Anglo-Saxon mōrland .] Land consisting of a moor or moors.

Moorpan Moor"pan` noun [ Confer Hard pan , under Hard .] A clayey layer or pan underlying some moors, etc.

Moorstone Moor"stone` noun A species of English granite, used as a building stone.

Mooruk Moo"ruk noun [ Native name.] (Zoology) A species of cassowary ( Casuarius Bennetti ) found in New Britain, and noted for its agility in running and leaping. It is smaller and has stouter legs than the common cassowary. Its crest is bilobed; the neck and breast are black; the back, rufous mixed with black; and the naked skin of the neck, blue.

Moory Moor"y adjective Of or pertaining to moors; marshy; fenny; boggy; moorish. Mortimer.

As when thick mists arise from moory vales.

Fairfax.

Moory Moor"y noun A kind of blue cloth made in India. Balfour (Cyc of India).

Moose Moose (mōs) noun [ A native name; Knisteneaux mouswah ; Algonquin monse . Mackenzie .] (Zoology) A large cervine mammal ( Alces machlis , or A. Americanus ), native of the Northern United States and Canada. The adult male is about as large as a horse, and has very large, palmate antlers. It closely resembles the European elk, and by many zoölogists is considered the same species. See Elk . Moose bird (Zoology) , the Canada jayor whisky jack. See Whisky jack . -- Moose deer . Same as Moose . -- Moose yard (Zoology) , a locality where moose, in winter, herd together in a forest to feed and for mutual protection.

Moose Moose noun A member of the Progressive Party; a Bull Moose. [ Cant]

Moosewood Moose"wood` noun (Botany) (a) The striped maple (Acer Pennsylvanicum) . (b) Leatherwood.

Moot Moot (mōt) v. See 1st Mot . [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Moot Moot (mōt) noun (Shipbuilding) A ring for gauging wooden pins.

Moot Moot transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Mooted ; present participle & verbal noun Mooting .] [ Middle English moten , motien , Anglo-Saxon mōtan to meet or assemble for conversation, to discuss, dispute, from mōt , gemōt , a meeting, an assembly; akin to Icelandic mōt , Middle High German muoz . Confer Meet to come together.] 1. To argue for and against; to debate; to discuss; to propose for discussion.

A problem which hardly has been mentioned, much less mooted , in this country.

Sir W. Hamilton. 2. Specifically: To discuss by way of exercise; to argue for practice; to propound and discuss in a mock court.

First a case is appointed to be mooted by certain young men, containing some doubtful controversy.

Sir T. Elyot.

Moot Moot intransitive verb To argue or plead in a supposed case.

There is a difference between mooting and pleading; between fencing and fighting.

B. Jonson.

Moot Moot noun [ Anglo-Saxon mōt , gemōt , a meeting; -- usually in comp.] [ Written also mote .] 1. A meeting for discussion and deliberation; esp., a meeting of the people of a village or district, in Anglo-Saxon times, for the discussion and settlement of matters of common interest; -- usually in composition; as, folk- moot . J. R. Green. 2. [ From Moot , v. ] A discussion or debate; especially, a discussion of fictitious causes by way of practice.

The pleading used in courts and chancery called moots .

Sir T. Elyot. Moot case , a case or question to be mooted; a disputable case; an unsettled question. Dryden. -- Moot court , a mock court, such as is held by students of law for practicing the conduct of law cases. -- Moot point , a point or question to be debated; a doubtful question.

Moot Moot adjective Subject, or open, to argument or discussion; undecided; debatable; mooted.