motte
- A mound or hill, especially one that is artificial and used as a defensive structure in the construction of a motte-and-bailey castle. nounThe castle was built on a motte to provide a strategic advantage over the surrounding landscape.Archaeologists discovered the remains of a medieval motte in the field behind the village.
- A small grove of trees or a clump of trees in a prairie or open land, particularly in the southern United States. nounThe deer found shelter in the motte during the heat of the day.Farmers often left a motte of trees standing in their fields to provide shade for livestock.