Moriarty

M3O1R1I1A1R1T1Y4
/ˈmɔːɹiɑː(ɹ)ti/

proper noun

A surname from Irish.

OriginIrish Ó Muircheartaigh →
Less commonScrabble 13
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Meanings

Moriarty1

proper noun
  1. A surname from Irish.
  2. A city in Torrance County, New Mexico, United States.
  3. A locality in Latrobe council area, Tasmania, Australia.

Moriarty2

nounMoriarty (plural Moriartys)

plural Moriartys · alternative Dr. Moriarty · alternative Professor Moriarty

  1. An archenemy or nemesis, especially a highly intelligent one.

    The town of Twin Peaks, suddenly not energised by its mammary setting, is narrated as a large chess board on which the action is completely defined by the competing logic of Dale Cooper and his Moriarty-like nemesis, Windom Earle.

    1997, Martha Nochimson, The passion of David Lynch: wild at heart in Hollywood

Origin

Moriarty · proper noun

  1. IrishÓ Muircheartaigh“descendant of Muircheartach”
  2. EnglishMoriarty

From Irish Ó Muircheartaigh (“descendant of Muircheartach”), a name from muir (“sea”) + ceardaí (“craftsman”).

More words from Irish

Full word history & related roots →

Moriarty · noun

In reference to Professor James Moriarty, fictional archenemy and nemesis of Sherlock Holmes

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Moriarty. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Moriarty

MLA

“Moriarty.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Moriarty. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Moriarty,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Moriarty.

Source: Moriarty on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.