mosstrooper

[ maws-troo-per, mos- ]
/ ˈmɔsˌtru pər, ˈmɒs- /

noun

a marauder who operated in the mosses, or bogs, of the border between England and Scotland in the 17th century.
any marauder.

Origin of mosstrooper

First recorded in 1645–55; moss + trooper

OTHER WORDS FROM mosstrooper

moss·troop·er·y, noun moss·troop·ing, noun, adjective

Words nearby mosstrooper

mossbunker, mossi, mossie, mosso, mossoró, mosstrooper, mossy, mossy horn, most, most honourable, most significant digit

Example sentences from the Web for mosstrooper

  • “If I had known you were such a mosstrooper you should have tasted longer of the Bass,” says he.

    Catriona |Robert Louis Stevenson

  • Yes; and the mosstrooper now lies in the Donjon with iron on wrist and ankle.

    The Mosstrooper |Robert Scott Fittis

  • “Ay; I had almost forgotten,” returned Sir James, as he went in search of the mosstrooper.

    The Mosstrooper |Robert Scott Fittis

  • "If I had known you were such a mosstrooper you should have tasted longer of the Bass," says he.

    David Balfour, Second Part |Robert Louis Stevenson

British Dictionary definitions for mosstrooper

mosstrooper
/ (ˈmɒsˌtruːpə) /

noun

a raider in the border country of England and Scotland in the mid-17th century

Word Origin for mosstrooper

C17 moss, in northern English dialect sense: bog