Moat

Moat

Noun · /məʊt/

Definition

A deep, wide ditch surrounding a castle, fortification, or building, usually filled with water, designed as a defensive barrier against attack; used figuratively in business to describe a competitive advantage that protects a company from competitors.

Origin

From Old French mote (mound, embankment), of uncertain origin — possibly from Frankish *motta (clod of earth, mound). The word originally referred to the mound on which a castle was built in the motte-and-bailey castle design (motte being the mound), and later transferred to the ditch surrounding the fortification. The motte-and-bailey castle being the dominant Norman design introduced to England after 1066 — a wooden keep on a raised mound (the motte) and a courtyard (the bailey) surrounded by a ditch. The figurative economic moat sense was popularised by Warren Buffett.