mora

plural morae · plural moras

1. Scots lawA delay in bringing a claim.
2. communicationsA unit used to measure lines and stanzas of poetry.

   In the quantitative meters in Sanskrit a heavy syllable is considered to be equal to two morae and a light syllable equivalent to one mora.

   1918, Elcanon Isaacs, “The Metrical Basis of Hebrew Poetry”, in The American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures, volume 35, page 22

3. human sciencesA unit of syllable weight used in phonology, by which stress, foot structure, or timing of utterance is determined in some languages (e.g., Japanese).

   Instead of syllables, Japanese is supported by mora. (Tokyo is To-o-kyo-o, a four-mora word.) The word Nihongo consists of four morae, ni-ho-n-go, pronounced with four rhythmical units of sound.

   2011, Senko K. Maynard, Learning Japanese for Real, Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, →ISBN, page 32

plural moras

1. biologyAny tree of the genus Mora of large South American trees.

   At length, somewhere about the centre of the wood, she led me to an immense mora tree, growing almost isolated, covering with its shade a large space of ground entirely free from undergrowth.

   1904, W.H. Hudson, Green Mansions, A Romance of the Tropical Forest

plural moras

1. The common mora (Mora moro).

   Synonyms: ribaldo, goodly-eyed cod, googly-eyed cod

1. alternativeuncountableAlternative form of morra (“finger-counting game”).

plural morai

1. historicalgovernmentAn ancient Spartan military unit of about a sixth of the Spartan army, typically composed of hoplites.

plural moras

1. IndiaalternativeAlternative form of morah (“stool”).

1. A female given name.
2. A city, the county seat of Kanabec County, Minnesota, United States. Named after Mora, Sweden, see also Swedish Mora.
3. A census-designated place, the county seat of Mora County, New Mexico, United States.
4. A town and municipality in Dalarna County, Sweden.

1. bioresonance therapy