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Glite Dictionary
Moorish

Moorish

4 7.9
Connected with the Moors and their art or building style
  • adjective
  • /ˈmʊrɪʃ/
translation icon : morisca
  • An ornate Moorish door is pushed open by the Duenna's hand.
  • Moorish Spain
  • Moorish influence

Because they had reconquered Portugal from the Moors, they'd taken over all the Moorish estates.

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Examples

  • In them, they danced the tango-habanera on mosaic-tile floors of Moorish influence.

    Academic text (1999)

  • I have never felt more grateful for the presence of the Moorish-style 15-story building.

    Blog text (9)

  • We really loved the Moorish Villa.

    Gun Shy (2000)

  • The room has a Moorish door, and the shower is tiled, though some of the tiles have fallen out.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • For it is as filigreed as a Moorish temple and as simple as a child.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • Our Moorish silks suit well your Christian armor.

    El Cid (1961)

  • The Moorish king sends a ship to Egypt to bring his bride to southern Portugal.

    Academic text (2018)

  • Fabulous Moorish gardens: ponds filled with golden carp; exotic bird cages hang from lemon trees.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • More artistically, the hotel incorporates Islamic motifs, such as Moorish arches, giving the resort a Middle Eastern flavor.

    Academic text (2009)

  • The synagogue is a large, ornate, Moorish-style building that was constructed in 1903.

Synonyms

Moresque
vsMoorish
  • Formal
9.9

Having the style of art and buildings made by the Moors

is a general adjective for relation to that culture's art or architecture
mauresque
vsMoorish
  • Specialized
9.9

Relating to the art and buildings of the Moors in Spain or North Africa

is broader covering any relation to that culture beyond region or style

Compounds

Moorish arch
  • Specialized
9.4

An arch wider at the bottom that curves to a rounded top and appears in Islamic buildings

Moorish architecture
  • Specialized
8.1

A style of building in Spain with horseshoe arches, detailed tiles, and repeating geometric shapes

Surface Forms

Moorish positive

Morphology

Moorish = Moor (transparent) = Moor + ish

The suffix '-ish' is commonly used to form adjectives indicating a relation to the noun 'Moor'.

Etymology

Moorish comes from Moor, the name for Muslim people from North Africa who lived in Spain long ago. So, Moorish describes art, buildings, and designs that have a North African and Spanish look.