moan1 (mon)

[Early mod. E. mone; or cries. Sullen moans , Hollow groans, And cries of tortured ghosts! Pope , St. Cecilia's Day, 1. 60. Hence-2. A low dull sound resembling that made by a person moaning. Byron . mobbify By-zonde the broke by slente other slade, I hoped that mote merked wore. Alliterative Poems (ed. Morris), i. 142. moat1 (mōt), v . t . [Early mod. E. mote ; moat1 , n.] To surround with a ditch for defense; also, to make or serve as a moat for. He paints, he carves, he builds, he fortifies, Makes citadels of curious fowl and fish, Some he dry-dishes, some moats round with broths. B. Jonson, Staple of News, iv. 1. The first Europe ans who settled here were the Portuguese. They also built the great Fort: but whether they moted round the Hill, and made an Island of that spot of ground, I know not. Dampier , Voyages, II. 1. 161.