Meanings
fosse1
plural fosses · alternative foss
- A ditch or moat.
Elberich endeavours to persuade her to become a Christian, and espouse Otnit; and to convince her of the incapacity of her gods, he tumbles their images into the fosse.
1850, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, London: H.G. Bohn, page 2121 more example
[T]he ground was […] scattered with the masses of ruined buildings, that had formerly been part of the outward fortifications, but of which some were fallen into the fosse, and others overgrown with alder, ash, and arbeal.
1791, Charlotte Smith, Celestina, Broadview, published 2004, page 486 - alternativeanatomyAlternative form of fossa.
Fosse2
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinfossa“ditch, trench”
- Old Frenchfosse
- Middle Englishfosse
- Englishfosse
From Middle English fosse, from Old French fosse, from Latin fossa (“ditch, trench”).
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic خَنْدَق
- خَنْدَق (ḵandaq)a ditch or moat
Bulgarian окоп, ров
- окоп (okop)a ditch or moat
- ров (rov)a ditch or moat
Danish voldgrav
- voldgrava ditch or moat
Māori awamate
- awamatea ditch or moat
Persian خندق
- خندق (xandaq)a ditch or moat
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with fosse
Cite this entry
fosse. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fosse
“fosse.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fosse. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fosse,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fosse.
Source: fosse on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.