early 15c., "action or process of making a ship secure in a particular place by means of anchors, cables, etc.," verbal noun from moor (v.). From 1775 as "place where a vessel can be moored" (compare moorings). 

"pool, small lake, pond," from Old English mere "sea, ocean; lake, pool, pond, cistern," from Proto-Germanic *mari (source also of Old Norse marr, Old Saxon meri "sea," Middle Dutch maer, Dutch meer "lake, sea, pool," Old High German mari, German Meer "sea," Gothic marei "sea," mari-saiws "lake"), from PIE root *mori- "body of water." The larger sense of "sea, arm of the sea" has been obsolete since Middle English. Century Dictionary reports it "Not used in the U.S. except artificially in some local names, in imitation of British names."

"pointed iron tool used by sailors to separate strands of rope," 1620s, from spike (n.) + marlin, Middle English merlin (early 15c.) "small line of two strands, used for seizings," from Middle Dutch marlijn "small cord," from marlen "to fasten or secure (a sail)," which is probably frequentative of Middle Dutch maren "to tie, moor" (see moor (v.)). Influenced in Dutch by lijn "line" (n.).

name of a modern nation (since 1960) and ancient kingdom of northwest Africa, also the name of a Roman province corresponding to parts of modern Morocco and Algeria, from Latin Mauretania, from Greek Mauritania, "the country of the Mauri" (Greek Mauroi, singular Mauros; see Moor). Related: Mauritanian.

"of or pertaining to the Moors," mid-15c., moreis, morys, morreys, from Moor + -ish. Earlier was Moreske (mid-14c.), from Old French moresque, morisque. Also compare Morisco, Moresco.

"Moorish, of Moorish design or imitation of Moorish work," 1550s, from Italian moresco, from Moro (see Moor). As a type of Italian dance, 1620s. Compare Morisco, which is the Spanish form.

"of or pertaining to Moors, Moorish, of Moorish design," 1550s, from Spanish morisco, from Moro (see Moor), and compare Moresco.