Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Moor” come from?

Moor comes from Middle English More, from Old French More, from Latin Maurus, from Ancient Greek Μαῦρος, ultimately from Ancient Greek Μαυρός.

Moor (English): A member of an ancient Berber people from...

Definitions

  1. A member of an ancient Berber people from...

Ancestry of “Moor”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishmoren—
2Old Englishmārian—
3Proto-Germanicmairōnąto moor, fasten to
4Proto-Indo-Europeanmer-to die; to disappear; sea, lake, wetland

Words derived from “Moor”

  • Moorish
  • morris
  • Mooress
  • Moorishness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European mer- →