Where does “moated” come from?
Moated comes from Middle English mote, from Old French mote, from Proto-Germanic -ōdaz, from Proto-Indo-European -eh₂tos and -tós.
moated (English): Surrounded with a moat
Ancestry of “moated”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | moat | A deep, wide defensive ditch, normally filled... |
| 2 | Middle English | mote | — |
| 3 | Old French | mote | mound, embankment |
| 4 | Medieval Latin | mota | a mound, hill; nominative feminine singular of... |
| 5 | Frankish | *mot | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *motta | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | mutô | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)mut- | dark, dirty |